Use this command to install HEICAutoConverter with WinGet:
winget install --id=J.Schell.HEICAutoConverter -e
HEICAutoConverter is a utility designed to automatically convert HEIC files (commonly used by iPhones and iPads) to JPG format. It runs in the system tray and continuously monitors selected folders for new HEIC files, converting them to JPG as soon as they appear.
Key Features:
Real-time file monitoring with automatic conversion
Preserves EXIF metadata and auto-orientation
Customizable output quality (1-100)
Option to keep, delete, or archive original HEIC files
Configurable settings for folder watching, concurrency, and more
Error recovery for locked files and partial conversions
System tray interface with status updates and quick access
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for Windows users who frequently handle photos from Apple devices. It eliminates the need for manual file conversion, ensuring compatibility across Windows applications and websites without interrupting workflow.
The tool can be installed via winget.
README
HEIC Auto Converter
iPhones and iPads save photos in HEIC format, which many Windows apps and websites don't support. This tool sits in your system tray and automatically converts those photos to JPG as soon as they appear in your chosen folders — no extra steps needed.
Installation
WinGet
winget install JSchell.HEICAutoConverter
Download
Download HEICAutoConverter.exe from Releases and run it. No installation required.
Windows 10 (1809+) or Windows 11
~200 MB disk space
No .NET runtime needed (self-contained)
Build from Source
git clone https://github.com/jschell/HEIC-convert.git
cd HEIC-convert
# Build (requires .NET 8 SDK)
dotnet build
# Or publish as self-contained single file
dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true
Usage
Launch the app — it appears in the system tray
Right-click the tray icon → Settings...
Add folders to watch, adjust quality/output preferences
Save — monitoring starts immediately
System Tray Menu
Action
Purpose
Status
Current monitoring status and conversion counts
Pause / Resume
Temporarily stop or restart conversion
Convert Existing Files
Scan watched folders for existing HEIC files
Settings...
Open settings (also: double-click the tray icon)
Exit
Close the application
Configuration
Settings are stored in %APPDATA%\HEICAutoConverter\settings.json.
Setting
Default
Description
Watch Folders
(none)
Directories to monitor for HEIC files
Output Strategy
Same Folder
Where to save converted JPGs
JPEG Quality
95
Output quality (1-100)
Original Files
Keep
Keep, delete, or archive originals
Include Subdirs
Yes
Monitor subdirectories recursively
Max Concurrent
2
Simultaneous conversions (1-8)
Skip Existing
Yes
Don't re-convert if JPG already exists
Start with Windows
No
Launch on system startup
Show Notifications
Yes
Balloon tips on conversion
How It Works
Real-time monitoring — FileSystemWatcher detects new HEIC/HEIF files as they appear
Queued conversion — thread-safe async queue with configurable concurrency (1-8)
Magick.NET (ImageMagick) handles HEIC decoding and JPEG encoding
EXIF preservation — auto-orients images based on embedded metadata
Error recovery — retries locked files, cleans up partial output on failure
Logs are written to %APPDATA%\HEICAutoConverter\logs\ with daily rotation. Logs older than 30 days are automatically cleaned up.
