HEIC to PDF: How to Turn iPhone Photos into a PDF

By Docmint Team · · 5 min read

On an iPhone, select the photos in the Files app and choose Create PDF. On a Mac, use Preview or Quick Actions. On Windows, print them to PDF. Here is each route, and why most web converters can't open HEIC.

The quickest way to turn HEIC photos into a PDF is with the device that took them. On an iPhone or iPad, save the photos to the Files app, select them, and choose Create PDF. On a Mac, select the photos in Finder and use Quick Actions > Create PDF. On Windows, open the photos and print them to Microsoft Print to PDF. If you would rather use a web tool, convert the photos to JPG first, because most browsers cannot read HEIC at all.

What is a HEIC file?

HEIC is the format iPhones use for photos by default. It stores a photo in roughly half the space of a JPG at similar quality, which is why Apple chose it. The catch is compatibility: many upload forms, Windows PCs, print shops and web tools still expect JPG or PNG.

That includes most online converters that run in the browser. Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot decode HEIC images, so a browser-based tool, Docmint included, cannot open them reliably. Tools that do accept HEIC usually upload your photo to a server and convert it there.

How to convert HEIC to PDF on iPhone or iPad

The Files app can build a PDF from photos without any extra app.

  1. In Photos, select the pictures, tap Share, then Save to Files, and pick a folder.
  2. Open the Files app and go to that folder.
  3. Tap Select (or the ⋯ menu, then Select) and choose the photos in the order you want.
  4. Tap the ⋯ button at the bottom right and choose Create PDF.
  5. A new PDF appears in the same folder. Rename it by pressing and holding it.

For a single photo there is a second route: open it in Photos, tap Share, then Print. In the print options, tap the Share button at the top and choose Save to Files. The photo is saved as a one-page PDF.

How to convert HEIC to PDF on a Mac

  1. Fastest for several photos: select them in Finder, Control-click, and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF. The PDF is created next to the photos, in the order they are sorted.
  2. With more control: open the photos in Preview, drag the thumbnails in the sidebar into order, then choose File > Print and PDF > Save as PDF.
  3. For one photo: open it in Preview and choose File > Export as PDF.

How to convert HEIC to PDF on Windows

Windows needs the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store to open HEIC photos. Many PCs already have it; if the Photos app shows your picture, you are ready.

  1. Select the photos in File Explorer, right-click, and choose Print (on Windows 11, it is under Show more options).
  2. Set the printer to Microsoft Print to PDF and choose a layout, such as one full-page photo per page.
  3. Click Print and choose where to save the PDF.

Using a web tool: convert to JPG first

If you want control over page size, margins and order, convert the photos to JPG on the device, then use an images-to-PDF tool. On an iPhone, the simplest way is to stop the camera producing HEIC at all: go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPG.

For photos you have already taken, Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Automatic makes the iPhone hand over JPGs when you copy photos to a computer with a cable. On a Mac, Preview can also export a HEIC as JPG with File > Export.

Once you have JPGs, Docmint's Images to PDF combines them into one PDF in the order you choose, with A4, Letter or fit-to-image pages. It runs in your browser, so the photos are not uploaded.

Keeping the PDF small enough to send

A modern phone photo is around 12 megapixels. Ten of them in a PDF can easily pass 20 MB, which is more than many email services and upload forms allow. Two habits help: crop each photo to the document or subject before converting, and run the finished PDF through a compressor. At 150 DPI, which is plenty for reading on screen, a photo-based PDF often shrinks by 80% or more.