The short version
Your iPhone saves photos in a newer format that takes up less space. Many websites only accept the two older ones. There are two fixes and you probably want both: convert the photos you already have using the converter here, which works on the phone itself, and then change one setting so new photos come out in the format everything accepts: Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible.
Two kinds of photo file, and websites only know one
A photo has to be packaged up somehow before it can be saved, and there is more than one way to do it. The old way has been around since 1992 and almost everything can read it. You have seen its name on the end of a file: .jpg.
Apple switched to a newer way of packaging photos on iPhone 7 and later, from iOS 11 onwards, because the pictures take up noticeably less room for the same quality. Apple's own support page describes the change. Files saved that way end in .heic, and if you want the full explanation, we have written one.
The trouble is that an upload form is software somebody wrote at some point, often years ago, and a great many were written to accept .jpg and .png and nothing else. Your photo arrives, the form does not recognise the ending, and it stops. The photo is not broken. The form has a short list.
Sometimes it works, which makes it worse
You may have sent the same photo by message last week and it arrived fine. Apple converts on the way out when it can tell the other end needs it: Apple says that sharing by AirDrop, Messages or email to a device that does not support the newer formats "might automatically be shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG". Might, when it can tell. A website is a different case. Safari on iPhone often converts a photo picked from your library to JPEG on the way out, but not every time: it depends on the form, the browser and where you pick the file from, and some sites still receive the HEIC. That is why one picture goes through by text message and bounces off a job application.
Convert the photos you already have
You can do this on the phone. No app, no account, no computer.
- Open the converter in Safari on your iPhone.
- Tap the tray and choose the photos. Pick as many as you like.
- Wait a moment, then tap download. The converted photos go to your Files or Photos.
- Go back to the website and upload those instead.
The conversion happens inside the browser on your own phone. The photos are not sent to us or to anyone else, which is worth knowing when the picture is a passport, a payslip or the inside of your home. Two short tests let you check that claim on this site or any other.
Stop it happening to the next photo
- Open Settings.
- Tap Camera.
- Tap Formats.
- Tap Most Compatible.
That is Apple's own instruction, on the same support page. From that moment the camera saves photos the old way and this problem stops. Photos already on the phone are not changed, so those still need converting.
The trade is storage: the older format takes more room, so your phone and iCloud fill up faster, and your videos change too. If you would like to weigh that up properly before switching, we go through what you give up.
If converting did not fix it
Four different things go wrong with iPhone photos and only the first is about the format.
| What is wrong | How you can tell | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The format | The message mentions the file type, or lists JPG and PNG | Convert it |
| Too big | The message mentions MB, or the upload fails near the end | Make it smaller |
| Wrong dimensions | The message talks about pixels, or asks for a square | Sort out the size |
| It is a screenshot | It came from your screen, not your camera | Save it as a JPG |
Screenshots catch people out because they are already in a format websites accept, so they are not the format problem at all; they are simply large. A form that wanted a JPG specifically will still turn one away.
The photo that is not really on your phone
If your phone is set to save space, the full-size copy of an older photo may live in iCloud rather than on the device. Apple describes it: with Optimize Storage on, iCloud keeps the original, high-resolution photos and the phone keeps space-saving versions; the setting is under Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos, iPhone Storage (Apple's steps). Choosing such a photo for an upload may make the phone download the original first, which on a weak signal looks exactly like a failed upload. Wait, or move to Wi-Fi and try again.
The other oddity is the Live Photo, a still picture and a short video kept together. Some forms cope and some take only half of it. Converting produces an ordinary still image and the problem goes away.
Getting the photos onto a PC or Mac first
Apple says that importing photos from a connected iPhone into Photos, Image Capture or a PC may convert them automatically, and that choosing Keep Originals is what stops that conversion. Leave that alone and imported copies usually arrive ready to upload. If they arrive as .heic files anyway, there are step-by-step pages for Windows, Mac and email attachments.
Still stuck? Why was my file rejected covers the checks a form runs without telling you, and this page covers the same symptom once you know the file is a HEIC.
Frequently asked questions
Last reviewed 2 October 2026