Converting HEIC to JPG sometimes keeps the photo's metadata and sometimes wipes it, depending entirely on the converter. In our test, ImageMagick carried over the GPS location, capture date and all 45 EXIF tags, while browser-based conversion, including ours, removed every one. Here's what we found, how to check your own files, and how to keep or remove the location on purpose.
Sometimes, and you can't tell from the file name. HEIC stores EXIF the same way JPG does: camera model, capture date and, on most phone photos, GPS coordinates accurate to a few metres. Whether that survives conversion is a choice the converter makes. Some copy it across on purpose. Others decode the picture to plain pixels and write a fresh file, and the metadata never makes it.
So we tested it. We built a 4717 × 3145 HEIC carrying a full 45-tag EXIF block, including GPS coordinates and the original capture date, and converted it six ways:
| Conversion route | Output bytes | EXIF tags | GPS | Capture date | Camera model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original HEIC | 1,861,600 | 45 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ToolAspect HEIC to JPG (browser, quality 0.92) | 1,490,336 | 0 | No | No | No |
| ToolAspect HEIC to PNG (browser) | 8,171,966 | 0 | No | No | No |
| ImageMagick to JPG | 1,713,561 | 45 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ImageMagick to PNG | 6,371,328 | 44 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Python Pillow, default JPG save | 1,527,194 | 0 | No | No | No |
| Python Pillow, EXIF passed through | 1,528,176 | 45 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Two clear groups. Command-line tools that treat metadata as part of the photo, like ImageMagick, kept everything, including the location, in both JPG and PNG. Tools that go through a pixel buffer, like a browser canvas or Pillow's default save, dropped all of it. Pillow keeps it only when the code passes the EXIF through deliberately.
One note on method: we didn't have an original iPhone file to hand, so the test HEIC was made from a GPS-tagged camera photo, with its EXIF written into the HEIC the standard way. iPhone photos store EXIF in the same place, so converters read it the same way. Because the test file started life as a JPEG, its output sizes aren't typical: for photos shot as HEIC, the JPG copy is usually the bigger file.
No. Our HEIC to JPG converter decodes the photo with libheif inside your browser, draws it onto a canvas and saves a new JPG or PNG from that. A canvas holds pixels and nothing else, so the result has no EXIF: no GPS, no capture date, no camera details. In our test the JPG had zero EXIF tags. Chrome added a standard sRGB color profile, which says nothing about you or where the photo was taken.
That's useful if you're about to post the photo publicly. It's a drawback if you're converting a photo library and want to keep dates for sorting. Photo apps that sort by date taken will fall back to the file date, which is the day you converted it.
Apple's own conversions are built to keep metadata, so a JPEG made by your iPhone during a transfer or share usually still carries the date and location. These are the settings that decide what leaves the phone:
| Setting | What it does | What it means for metadata |
|---|---|---|
| Settings > Camera > Formats | High Efficiency (HEIC) or Most Compatible (JPEG) | Most Compatible shoots JPEG from the start, with the same metadata |
| Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC | Automatic converts to JPEG on transfer; Keep Originals sends HEIC | Either way, expect the date and location to come with it |
| Share sheet > Options | A Location switch for that share | Turn it off to send the photo without GPS |
| Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera | Never stops new photos being geotagged | Doesn't touch photos you already took |
On Windows, the Photos app opens HEIC once the HEIF and HEVC extensions are installed, and desktop converters vary just as much as the ones we tested. Don't assume. Check the converted file.
Open it in an EXIF viewer. If you see a GPS section with latitude and longitude, the location is there. If there's no GPS block, it's gone. A file with a capture date and camera model but no GPS has had the location stripped selectively, which some apps and share options do. The check takes seconds and runs in your browser, so the photo isn't uploaded.
Use a converter that copies EXIF on purpose. On a Mac, Preview's Export usually keeps it, and the Photos app's export dialog has an option to include location information. On Windows, or for batches, ImageMagick (magick photo.heic photo.jpg) kept every tag in our test. If you've already converted with a tool that dropped it, the metadata is still in the original HEIC. Keep the originals until you've checked a few converted files.
Compression works the same way, by the way: some tools keep metadata and some don't. We tested ten of those routes in does compressing a photo remove metadata, and the platform-by-platform settings are in how to remove location from photos.
It depends on the converter. In our test, ImageMagick kept the GPS location and all 45 EXIF tags, while browser-based conversion and Python Pillow's default save removed every tag. Check the converted file in an EXIF viewer to be sure.
No. It decodes the HEIC in your browser and saves a new JPG or PNG from a canvas, which holds only pixels. The output has no GPS, capture date or camera details. The photo is never uploaded.
Usually, yes. Apple's conversions during transfer or sharing are built to keep metadata, including location. When sharing, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location to send the photo without GPS.
Use a converter that copies EXIF, such as ImageMagick or a desktop photo app's export, and check a converted file in an EXIF viewer before doing a whole batch. Keep the original HEIC files until you've confirmed the dates came across.
Slightly. HEIC to JPG is a lossy re-encode, so some detail is lost, though it's hard to see at high quality settings such as 0.9. For photos shot as HEIC, the JPG copy is also usually larger, because HEIC compresses more efficiently.