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Batch Convert HEIC on Mac: 3 Methods

Batch convert HEIC to JPG on Mac with GetCompress, Photos, or Terminal sips. Real estate and event photo workflows.

By Petr Samokhin

Two hundred HEIC files land in a Finder folder from an iPhone shoot. Photos export one album at a time gets old fast. Real estate, events, and product photography often need JPEG at consistent width before MLS, Shopify, or client galleries accept the batch.

You might also get mixed extensions, Live Photo pairs, and duplicate filenames from multiple photographers on one listing. Batch conversion locally beats uploading the camera roll to a converter site and keeps unreleased listing photos on your Mac.

Method 1: GetCompress

Best for: One file or Finder folders of HEIC, portal width rules, and weekly listing presets.

GetCompress batch queue with many photos ready to convert
  1. Open GetCompress and point it at a folder of HEIC photos.
  2. Choose JPEG output.
  3. Set max width (for example 3000 px for listings) and quality (for example High or Medium).
  4. Export to a separate jpeg-out/ or Listing/web/ folder.
  5. Save a preset such as “listing JPEG 3000 high” so you can reuse it next time.

Optional: enable folder monitoring so new HEIC files in Listing/raw/ convert automatically. Processing stays on your Mac. Exact target file size is video only; for images, control size with width and quality.

Method 2: Photos export

Best for: One album already in the Photos library.

  1. Select the album.
  2. File → Export → Export N Photos.
  3. Choose JPEG and a quality tier.
SituationUse Photos
One album already in libraryYes
Files only in a Finder folderNo; use Method 1 or 3
Need custom width on every fileMethod 1 or 3

For single-file context, see HEIC to JPG on Mac .

Limitation: Awkward for raw Finder drops and custom pixel caps across hundreds of files.

Method 3: sips in Terminal

Best for: Scriptable folder loops without a GUI.

Open Terminal, cd to the folder:

mkdir jpeg-out
for f in *.heic *.HEIC; do
 [ -f "$f" ] || continue
 sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 90 "$f" --out "jpeg-out/${f%.*}.jpg"
done

Resize while converting (common MLS rule: 3000 px long edge):

mkdir jpeg-out
for f in *.heic *.HEIC; do
 [ -f "$f" ] || continue
 sips -Z 3000 -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 85 "$f" --out "jpeg-out/${f%.*}.jpg"
done

FFmpeg when sips fails on an odd file:

ffmpeg -i problem.heic -q:v 3 jpeg-out/problem.jpg
Flag / optionPlain meaning
-Z 3000Max width or height 3000 px
formatOptions 85JPEG quality balance

Always write to jpeg-out/ so originals stay untouched. Test on three files before running two hundred.

Limitation: No preview. Parallel shoots may duplicate IMG_####.HEIC names; convert into separate output folders or rename after.

Rename and resize after

MLS and Shopify often want consistent width and filenames like 001-front.jpg. Doing rename, resize, and convert in one pass beats chaining three scripts.

Portal quirkPractical response
Rejects over 5 MBLower quality or cap width further
Wants exact 3000 px long edgeUse -Z 3000 or a GetCompress max-width preset

If files are still too large after a width cap, see how to compress images on Mac .

Which method should you use

SituationStart here
Finder folder, width + quality presetGetCompress
One Photos albumPhotos
Existing Terminal workflowsips

When Photos is enough

Photos can finish a single album export when the portal accepts the default JPEG quality.

GetCompress also helps when listing shoots repeat every week, Live Photo pairs confuse scripts, or you need resize plus convert in one preset. Processing stays local. It does not replace Lightroom for color work. When a shoot mixes HEIC from phones and JPEG from a second shooter, convert HEIC only and leave JPEG untouched until width and quality match.

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