How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Linux (2026 Guide)

Linux distros do not ship HEIC support out of the box. Try to open a .heic photo from your iPhone in your file manager and you will get a thumbnail that does not load and an error in your image viewer. The fix is straightforward (install libheif and a tool that uses it), but the right command depends on your distro and which workflow you prefer: command line, GUI, or both.

This guide covers four ways to convert HEIC to JPG on Linux, in order from easiest to most advanced. All of them are free, work offline, and never upload your photos.

Method 1: ImageMagick (Easiest, Command Line)

ImageMagick is the standard image conversion tool on Linux. Once you have it (with HEIC support), conversion is a single command.

Install on Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install imagemagick libheif-examples

Install on Fedora

sudo dnf install ImageMagick libheif libheif-tools

Install on Arch

sudo pacman -S imagemagick libheif

Convert a single HEIC to JPG

magick input.heic output.jpg

Batch convert a folder of HEIC files

magick mogrify -format jpg *.heic

mogrify writes new .jpg files alongside the originals (the HEIC files are not deleted). Add -quality 90 to control JPG quality (default is 92).

Method 2: libheif tools (Lightweight, Command Line)

If you do not need ImageMagick's broader features, the heif-convert binary that ships with libheif handles HEIC to JPG with no extra dependencies.

Install

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install libheif-examples

# Fedora
sudo dnf install libheif-tools

# Arch
sudo pacman -S libheif

Convert a single HEIC

heif-convert input.heic output.jpg

Batch with a shell loop

for f in *.heic; do heif-convert "$f" "${f%.heic}.jpg"; done

heif-convert is the leanest option. It does one thing well, with no surprises.

Method 3: GIMP (GUI, Single Files)

GIMP opens HEIC files when libheif is installed (most modern distros ship this). Open the HEIC, then File > Export As, type a filename ending in .jpg, click Export.

GIMP is the right pick when you also want to crop, rotate, or color-correct the photo before exporting. For straight HEIC to JPG with no editing, ImageMagick or heif-convert are faster.

Method 4: GNOME Image Viewer (Loupe) and Other Native Apps

On modern GNOME (Ubuntu 24.04+, Fedora 40+), the default image viewer Loupe shows HEIC files natively as long as the libheifGStreamer plugin is installed. You can right-click a HEIC in Files and use "Open with Image Viewer", then export to JPG via the menu.

On KDE, Gwenview handles HEIC similarly. darktable and RawTherapee also import HEIC if you want photo-editor workflows.

What if the "HEIC support" is missing?

On older distros or minimal installs, libheif may not be present. The error you see depends on the tool: ImageMagick will say "no decode delegate", GIMP will say "Unknown file type", and your file manager will just show no thumbnail. Install libheif from your package manager and the support appears across all those tools at once.

Some older distros (Ubuntu 20.04, RHEL 8) ship without HEIC support due to past patent concerns. The package is still installable but may need to come from a third-party repo (ppa:strukturag/libheif on Ubuntu, RPM Fusion on RHEL/Fedora derivatives).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

Yes, slightly. Both HEIC and JPG are lossy formats, so going from one to the other introduces a generation of compression artifacts. In practice the loss is invisible at JPG quality 90 or higher. Use magick input.heic -quality 90 output.jpg in ImageMagick.

Will EXIF metadata be preserved?

ImageMagick and heif-convert both preserve EXIF (camera, GPS, timestamps) by default. If you do not want GPS in the output (privacy), strip it with magick input.heic -strip output.jpg.

What is the fastest way to batch convert thousands of HEIC files on Linux?

magick mogrify -format jpg *.heic from ImageMagick is the fastest single-command option. For very large batches, run in parallel with GNU Parallel: parallel heif-convert {} {.}.jpg ::: *.heic.

Can I convert HEIC to JPG without installing anything?

Yes, in your browser. Our free in-browser HEIC to JPG converter works in any modern browser including Firefox and Chromium on Linux, and runs locally so your photos do not get uploaded.

Final Thoughts

For one-off photos, the GNOME or KDE image viewer is the path of least resistance once HEIC support is installed. For batches of dozens or hundreds of files, ImageMagick's mogrify is the fastest. For the cleanest minimal tool, heif-convert from libheif works perfectly. And for a no-install option that runs in any browser, our in-browser HEIC to JPG converter handles single files locally.