How to Convert HEIC to JPG on a Chromebook — Free, No App

Try to open an iPhone photo on a Chromebook and you'll likely see a blank thumbnail or an error. ChromeOS doesn't include a native HEIC decoder. The Files app, the Gallery app, and most Chrome-native photo editors don't know what to do with .heic files.

The good news: since you're already in a browser, you can convert HEIC to JPG without downloading anything at all.

Method 1: Browser-Based Converter — Works Instantly

This is the fastest approach on a Chromebook:

1. Open the HEIC to JPG converter in your Chrome browser
2. Click "Choose files" or drag your .heic files directly from the Files app
3. Set quality to 90 (or leave the default)
4. Download the JPGs to your Downloads folder or Google Drive

The conversion happens entirely in your Chrome browser tab. Nothing is uploaded. You can convert a single photo or a batch of photos and download them all as a ZIP.

This works on any Chromebook regardless of ChromeOS version — as long as Chrome is up to date (version 100+).

Method 2: Android App (If Play Store Is Enabled)

If your Chromebook has the Google Play Store enabled (most Chromebooks from 2017 onward do), you can install an Android HEIC converter app:

1. Open the Play Store and search for "HEIC to JPG converter"
2. Install any free converter app (several options available)
3. Open the app and select your HEIC files from the Files app
4. Convert and save the output JPGs

The Android app route works but it's more steps. You need to enable Play Store in Settings → Apps → Google Play Store if it's not already enabled. Not all Chromebook models support Android apps.

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Method 3: Linux Environment (Advanced Users)

Chromebooks support a Linux development environment (called Crostini) that you can enable in Settings → Developers. Once enabled:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install libheif-examples
heif-convert photo.heic photo.jpg

This gives you full command-line HEIC conversion. You can access your Downloads folder from the Linux terminal at /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/Downloads/.

This is the most powerful option for batch conversions or scripted workflows, but it's overkill for occasional photo conversion. The browser method is faster for one-off conversions.

Saving Converted JPGs to Google Drive

After converting, if you want the JPGs in Google Drive rather than local Downloads:

• In the download dialog, click the folder icon and navigate to Google Drive
• Or save to Downloads first, then drag files into the Google Drive folder in the Files app
• On the browser-based converter, some browsers let you set a default download location — point it at your Google Drive sync folder

Once JPGs are in Google Drive, they'll be viewable from any device including other phones and computers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does ChromeOS show a broken image for HEIC files?

ChromeOS doesn't include a HEIC decoder. HEIC is Apple's proprietary format and Google hasn't built native support into ChromeOS. You need to convert the file to JPG (or PNG) first.

Can the Google Photos app on Chromebook open HEIC?

Google Photos on Android and web can display HEIC files (it converts them server-side). If your Chromebook has Android apps enabled, the Google Photos Android app may be able to open HEIC files.

Does the browser-based converter work offline on Chromebook?

Once the page loads, the converter can process files even if your internet connection drops. The processing happens in your browser, not on any server. The initial page load requires internet.

Will converting HEIC to JPG on Chromebook reduce quality?

At 90% quality the output is visually identical to the source. You can set quality up to 100% for no compression artifacts. The converted file will be larger than the HEIC original.