01
PNG to JPG
Choose JPG when the picture has to open on a website, a Windows PC, or a form. JPG is smaller and lossy, and transparent areas are flattened. One file to one JPG is free.
How to change a photo's format on iPhone
Change one photo or an unlocked PDF to PNG, JPG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, PDF, WebP, a still GIF, or ICO.
Quick answer
Last updated
- FileSway changes a photo's format on your iPhone to PNG, JPG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, PDF, WebP, GIF or ICO.
- WebP is available only when your iPhone has a WebP encoder, GIF output is one still frame, and ICO is one icon up to 256 px.
- You can add a JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP or an unlocked PDF from Photos or Files.
- One file to one format is free, and you do not need an account.
- Several files, or several formats in one job, need FileSway Pro, a one-time $14.99 purchase in the U.S., and there is no subscription.
- Image conversion runs on your iPhone, and document processing does not upload your files to our servers.
Convert one file
One file to one format is free, and you do not need an account. Add a JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP or unlocked PDF from Photos or Files. On a supported device you can also scan a document. The capture shows the Convert screen before a file is added.
Open FileSway and add one file from Photos or Files.
Choose one format in the grid: PNG, JPG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, PDF, WebP, GIF or ICO. One file to one format is free.
Open Advanced settings for a size limit in KB or MB, a width and height in pixels, or to remove location or broader supported metadata. Supported metadata stays unless you remove it.
Review the file. If you set a limit, FileSway makes the file smaller only as needed. Your original stays unchanged.
Save to Photos, save to Files, share, or export a ZIP.
What each format is good for, and its limit
The Convert tab is a 3 by 3 grid. These notes are from FileSway. Common inputs include JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP and unlocked PDFs. Output availability depends on what your iPhone can encode.
| Feature | Good for | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Images with transparency | Lossless encoding of the rendered pixels. It cannot restore detail the source already lost. |
| JPG | Widely compatible photos | Smaller, lossy files. Transparent areas are flattened. |
| HEIC | Compact modern photos | Uses your iPhone's encoder. Lossy, and transparency is flattened. |
| TIFF | Still-image interchange | Rendered pixels. Original TIFF layers and structures are not kept. |
| BMP | Bitmap compatibility | Files can be large, and transparency is flattened. |
| Images as documents | Turns images into a PDF. Page editing lives in the PDF tools tab. | |
| WebPDevice dependent | Web-oriented images | Available when your iPhone has a WebP encoder. |
| GIF | A still GIF image | One frame, up to 256 colors. It is not an animation. |
| ICO | Small icon files | One icon, up to 256 pixels. |
One file to one format is free. Several files, or several formats in one job, need FileSway Pro. A photo saved as a document is Photo to PDF. Pages of an unlocked PDF saved as pictures are PDF to JPG.
Good to know
02
JPG to PNG
Choose PNG when the image needs transparency. PNG keeps transparency and encodes the rendered pixels without the lossy step JPG uses. It cannot restore detail the source already lost. A JPG has already flattened transparency, so there is none left to keep. One file to PNG is free.
03
WebP to JPG
WebP in FileSway is an output, and only when your iPhone has a WebP encoder. The inputs are JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP and unlocked PDFs. WebP is not one of those inputs. From a file FileSway can open, choose JPG for a widely compatible photo. Transparent areas are flattened.
04
Make an ICO
ICO output is one icon, up to 256 pixels, in a single size. One file to ICO is free. For a still image with more colors, use PNG or JPG. GIF output is one frame, up to 256 colors, and it is not an animation.
Built-in iOS options and their limits
You can change photos you have not taken yet without FileSway. Converting a file already on the iPhone is the part the camera setting does not do. Apple may move these menus.
Settings: Most Compatible
Open Settings.
Tap Camera, then Formats.
Choose Most Compatible.
New camera photos are saved as JPG. Photos already on the iPhone stay as they are. HEIC to JPG covers that path.
Share and Shortcuts
From Photos, some share destinations ask for a format before they take the file. What arrives depends on the iOS version and the app you share to. Shortcuts can convert images on some iOS versions, when the action is available and you build the shortcut. A shortcut can omit a size limit or an ICO.
When an app is better
- The file is already in your library. Most Compatible does not convert it.
- You want one of the nine outputs, including a still GIF or an ICO.
- You want WebP, and only if your iPhone has a WebP encoder.
- You want a size limit, or a width and height, in the same step.
- You want several files, or several formats, in one job. That is FileSway Pro.
Free & Pro
Built-in iOS vs FileSway Free vs FileSway Pro
$14.99Pro, one time
U.S. price · no subscription
U.S. price · no subscription
| Feature | Built-in iOS | FileSway Free | FileSway Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| One file to PNG, JPG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, PDF, GIF or ICO | Only if Share or Shortcuts offers it | ||
| WebP outputDevice dependent | Only if that iOS version offers it | When your iPhone has a WebP encoder | When your iPhone has a WebP encoder |
| Animated GIFGIF output is one frame, up to 256 colors. It is not an animation. | Depends on the destination | ||
| Several files in one job | No Photos control for a batch | ||
| More than one format per job | Depends on the destination | ||
| Size limit in the same stepPresets run from 100 KB to 50 MB, or a custom KB or MB size. | Not part of Most Compatible | ||
| Price | Included with iPhone | Free | $14.99 once |
Document processing does not upload your files to our servers.
Image conversion runs on your iPhone. Cloud file providers, Apple purchases and restore, and links you choose to open can still use the internet.
On-device privacyHow do I change the photo format on iPhone?
Add the photo in FileSway from Photos or Files, choose one format, then review and save or share. One file to one format is free, and the original stays unchanged.
How do I change the file type on iPhone?
Pick the new format in FileSway, such as JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, PDF, WebP, GIF or ICO. One file to one format is free, and several formats from one job need FileSway Pro.
Can iPhone convert WebP?
FileSway can write WebP only when your iPhone has a WebP encoder, and WebP is not an input. FileSway opens JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP and unlocked PDFs, so choose JPG from one of those if you need a JPG.
Does PNG improve quality?
No. PNG is a lossless encoding of the rendered pixels, and it cannot restore detail the source already lost. Use PNG when you need transparency, because a JPG source has already flattened transparent areas.
Can FileSway make animated GIFs?
No. GIF output is one frame, up to 256 colors, and it is not an animation.
What files can I add?
You can add JPG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, BMP and unlocked PDFs from Photos or Files. On a supported device you can also scan a document. Several files, or several formats in one job, need FileSway Pro, a one-time $14.99 purchase in the U.S., and there is no subscription.
Your files.
Ready to go.
FileSway is coming to the App Store. Convert, resize & compress photos and PDFs, right on your iPhone.