Does sips work with lower-case .heic files?

Yes, sips reads any valid HEIC file regardless of case. The shell pattern you use must match the actual file extension, so use *.heic for lower-case files or enable case-insensitive globbing.

Can I convert HEIC files to PNG instead of JPEG?

Yes. Replace jpeg with png in the sips command. For example: sips -s format png IMG_0001.HEIC --out IMG_0001.png .

What happens if I do not use the --out flag?

Without --out, sips modifies the original HEIC file in place, converting it to JPEG and overwriting the source. To keep the original HEIC, always specify --out with a different file name.

Is there a limit to how many files I can convert at once?

The shell loop processes files one at a time, so the limit depends on your available disk space and system resources. For very large folders, the conversion may take some time but will complete as long as you have enough free space for the output files.

Convert HEIC to JPG in Mac Terminal With sips

Mac Terminal converts HEIC to JPG with sips, the built-in scriptable image processing system. The syntax covers single files, JPEG quality settings, batch folder processing, and resizing during conversion. Work with large folders of iPhone HEIC photos without opening Preview or Photos.

What is Sips and Why Use It?

sips is a command-line tool included with macOS. It reads and writes many image formats, including HEIC and JPEG. Because it runs from Terminal, you process hundreds of files without opening a graphical application. The tool adds no watermarks, requires no internet connection, and works entirely on your machine.

Convert a Single HEIC File

Convert one file with the sips command, the -s format jpeg option, the source file, and the --out flag for the output file name.

Example:

sips -s format jpeg IMG_0001.HEIC --out IMG_0001.jpg

This creates a new JPEG file named IMG_0001.jpg in the same folder. Omit --out and sips modifies the original HEIC file in place. Avoid that.

Set JPEG Quality

Quality Values And File Size

Control JPEG output quality with the -s formatOptions flag followed by a quality value. Use a number from 0 to 100, where higher numbers produce larger files with less compression. Or use the words low, normal, high, or best.

Example with a high numeric quality:

sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions high IMG_0001.HEIC --out IMG_0001.jpg

Example using a word:

sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions high IMG_0001.HEIC --out IMG_0001.jpg

Without formatOptions, sips uses its default compression level.

Batch Convert an Entire Folder

Loop Through Every HEIC File

For a folder full of HEIC files, use a shell loop to process each one. This example works with files that have an upper-case .HEIC extension, which iPhone photos use.

Open Terminal, navigate to the folder containing your HEIC files, then run:

for f in *.HEIC; do sips -s format jpeg "$f" --out "${f%.*}.jpg"; done

This loop does the following:

for f in *.HEIC matches every file ending in .HEIC in the current folder.
sips -s format jpeg "$f" converts each file to JPEG.
--out "${f%.*}.jpg" strips the original extension and appends .jpg.

Match Lower-Case Extensions

If your files use a lower-case .heic extension, change the pattern to *.heic. Shell file name matching is case-sensitive, so you need to match the exact case.

Resize Images During Conversion

Resize an image while converting by adding the -Z option followed by a pixel size. The -Z flag scales the longest edge to that number of pixels and adjusts the other edge to maintain the original aspect ratio.

For example, to resize the longest edge to 2048 pixels:

sips -s format jpeg -Z 2048 IMG_0001.HEIC --out IMG_0001.jpg

Combine resizing with quality settings and batch processing:

for f in *.HEIC; do sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions high -Z 2048 "$f" --out "${f%.*}.jpg"; done

Each HEIC file becomes a JPEG with a high quality setting and a maximum dimension of 2048 pixels.

Build a Reusable Script for Batch Conversion

Save The Command As A Script

Run the same conversion often? Save the command as a shell script. Create a text file named convert_heic.sh with the following content:

#!/bin/bash for f in "$1"/*.HEIC; do sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions high -Z 2048 "$f" --out "${f%.*}.jpg" done

Replace the quality and size values with your preferred settings. Make the script executable with chmod +x convert_heic.sh, then run it by passing the folder path as an argument:

./convert_heic.sh /path/to/your/photos

This approach keeps your command consistent and saves typing.

Notes on File Extensions and Case Sensitivity

iPhone HEIC photos use an upper-case .HEIC extension. The shell pattern *.HEIC matches only files with that exact case. If you have a mix of cases, use a pattern that ignores case by enabling the nocaseglob shell option:

shopt -s nocaseglob for f in *.heic; do sips -s format jpeg "$f" --out "${f%.*}.jpg"; done

shopt is a Bash feature and may not work in other shells. Check the extension of your files before running a batch command.