If an iPhone photo will not open or upload, it is almost certainly a HEIC file. Here is how to deal with it.
HEIC is the photo format iPhones and iPads have used by default for years. It stores a picture in roughly half the space of a JPG at similar quality, which saves storage on the phone. The catch is compatibility. Windows does not open HEIC files in its default photo viewer without an extra add-on, many Android apps do not understand them, and most online forms and portals reject them because they only accept JPG, PNG or PDF.
So the photo looks fine on your iPhone, but when you send it to a Windows PC or try to upload it to a form, it will not open, or the upload fails. The fix is to convert the photo to JPG.
If you want future photos to be JPG from the start, open Settings, go to Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. From then on the camera saves JPG instead of HEIC. The photos will take more space, but they will open everywhere.
This does not change photos you have already taken. For those, you need to convert them, or change how they are shared.
When you move photos from an iPhone to a computer with a cable, the Photos settings can convert them for you. Go to Settings, then Photos, and under Transfer to Mac or PC choose Automatic, which converts to a compatible format when needed.
When you share a photo from the Photos app, the share sheet has an Options button; choosing Most Compatible there sends a JPG copy. Sending by AirDrop to another Apple device keeps the original HEIC, which is fine between Apple devices.
For photos that are already HEIC, the simplest route that works on any device is an online converter that runs in the browser. Open the HEIC to JPG tool, choose your photos, and save the JPG results. Tooqly does this on your own device, so the photos are not uploaded anywhere, which matters for personal pictures and for photos of documents.
You can convert several photos at once, and you can pick a smaller size if the form you are uploading to has a size limit.
Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC files if you install the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, and some photos also need the HEVC Video Extensions, which may carry a small charge. If you do not want to install anything, converting the photo to JPG first is easier, and it works on every version of Windows.
Recent versions of Android can display HEIC pictures in the Google Photos app, but many other apps and websites still reject them, so converting is the dependable option. On a Mac, Preview opens HEIC files, and you can use File, then Export, and pick JPEG as the format.
A JPG is a lossy format, so converting from HEIC changes the file slightly, but at normal quality the difference is hard to see. The JPG will usually be larger than the HEIC. If you need it smaller for a form, use an image compressor to bring it under the limit, and check it looks right before you upload.
Apple uses HEIC by default because it saves storage. You can switch the camera to Most Compatible under Settings, Camera, Formats to save JPG instead.
Slightly, because JPG is lossy, but at a normal quality setting the difference is not usually visible. Keep your original HEIC in case you need it.
It depends on the tool. Many upload your photo to a server first. A tool that converts in your browser, like Tooqly, never sends the photo anywhere.