You plug an iPhone into a Mac or a PC, drag a folder of clips across, and the files that land are H.264 — not the HEVC you recorded. This guide shows you the one setting that stops that from happening, and, just as importantly, where that setting has no effect at all.
You need an iPhone that records in the newer formats to begin with. Apple's article on HEIF and HEVC lists the capture requirement as "iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus or later". If your camera is already set to the older formats, nothing below applies — there is nothing to convert.
Before you start: what the two formats are
Apple defines them in one line each: "HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) for photos" and "HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), also known as H.265, for videos". The reason the phone uses them by default is stated just as plainly: "HEIF and HEVC offer better compression than JPEG and H.264, so they use less storage space on your devices and iCloud Photos, while preserving the same visual quality."
So the thing you lose in a conversion is the efficiency, not necessarily the look. That is Apple's claim, and it is worth keeping in mind before you go hunting for a setting.
What "might be converted" actually covers
Here is the sentence this whole article hangs on, quoted in full from Apple's HEIF and HEVC support article:
"When you import HEIF or HEVC media from an attached iPhone or iPad into Photos, Image Capture, or a PC, the media might be converted to JPEG or H.264. If you don't want it to be converted, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Photos, then scroll down and tap Keep Originals."
Two things in there get misread constantly.
It says "might", not "will". Apple uses the same hedge for the other sharing paths on that page. If your imported files came across as HEVC without touching any setting, that is not a contradiction — it is the documented wording.
The scope is an attached device. The sentence is about importing "from an attached iPhone or iPad" into Photos, Image Capture, or a PC. Apple describes iCloud Photos separately, and differently: "If sharing this media via iCloud Photos, the media is preserved in its original format, resolution, and frame rate."
And a third path gets its own conditional sentence: "If sharing this media using other methods, such as AirDrop, Messages, or email, and the receiving device doesn't support the newer media formats, the media might automatically be shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG or H.264." Note the condition — the receiving device not supporting the format — rather than a blanket rule.
Turn on Keep Originals
The path in Apple's wording, step by step:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap Photos.
- Scroll down — Apple's instruction explicitly says to scroll, which is a hint about how far down the option sits.
- Tap Keep Originals.
That is the whole procedure as Apple writes it. To confirm it took effect, re-import a clip and check the codec on the computer side rather than trusting the toggle.
Importing to a Windows PC
Two extra requirements come from Apple's transfer article, and skipping the second one is the most common way this goes wrong.
- "Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store."
- "If you have iCloud Photos turned on, you must download the original, full resolution versions of your photos to your iPhone or iPad before you import to your PC."
That second line matters because of how iCloud Photos manages space. With Optimize Storage on, Apple says "your device keeps space-saving versions of your photos and videos, while iCloud Photos stores your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version." Keep Originals governs the format at import time; it does not pull a full-resolution file down from iCloud for you.
If you would rather solve the compatibility problem on the computer instead of on the phone — or you are handed a file that is already the wrong container — convert it in the browser:
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
This runs locally in the tab, so nothing is uploaded. Apple's own desktop route is worth knowing too: in QuickTime Player, "choose File > Export As", then "use the pop-up menu to change from Smaller File Size (HEVC) to Greater Compatibility (H.264) before you click Save."
Keep Originals and Automatic are not the same control
This is where most write-ups blur two different settings together.
Automatic is an option in the share sheet, not in the transfer settings. Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 describes the row like this: "Adjust the file format: Tap Automatic for the best file format for the destination, tap Current to prevent a file format conversion, or tap Most Compatible and files may convert to JPEG or MOV."
So in the share sheet, the setting that prevents conversion is Current, described literally as being there "to prevent a file format conversion". Automatic hands the decision to the destination.
There is a third control with a confusingly similar name. Under the camera settings, Apple says: "Tap Formats, then tap Most Compatible… All new photos and videos will now use JPEG or H.264 format." The transfer article puts it the same way: "Tap Most Compatible. From now on, your camera will capture photos and videos in JPEG and H.264 formats."
Line them up and the overlap disappears:
| Control | Where it lives | What Apple says it does |
|---|---|---|
| Keep Originals | Settings > Apps > Photos | Stops conversion when importing from an attached device |
| Current / Automatic / Most Compatible | Share sheet, per share | Current prevents conversion; Most Compatible "may convert to JPEG or MOV" |
| High Efficiency / Most Compatible | Settings > Camera > Formats | Sets what the camera records: HEIF/HEVC or JPEG/H.264 |
Note that the two "Most Compatible" entries are not the same thing — one produces "JPEG or MOV" on share, the other makes the camera capture "JPEG and H.264". Same label, different setting.
Common mistakes
- Expecting Keep Originals to fix AirDrop or Messages. Different sentence, different conditions — see the AirDrop clause above.
- Turning on camera-side Most Compatible when you only wanted clean transfers. That changes every future recording. Apple notes it "is available only on iPhone and iPad devices that can capture media in HEIF or HEVC format."
- Forgetting the iCloud download step on Windows. Keep Originals does not substitute for it.
- Assuming conversion is always the problem. Apple points at resolution and frame rate too: "Resolutions of 1080p or lower and frame rates of 60 fps or lower are more broadly compatible with older devices."
FAQ
Where is Keep Originals on iOS? Apple's instruction is to "open Settings, tap Apps, tap Photos, then scroll down and tap Keep Originals." The Apps layer is the part that is new to people coming from older iOS releases.
Does Keep Originals stop iCloud from converting my videos? There is nothing to stop on that path. Apple states that media shared via iCloud Photos "is preserved in its original format, resolution, and frame rate", and that "iCloud Photos always uploads and stores your original, full-resolution photos."
What codec does the import convert to, and at what settings? Apple names the output formats — JPEG or H.264 — but not the encoder or its parameters. Check the official documentation if you need that level of detail; don't trust a number you saw on a forum.
Will Keep Originals help with ProRes? Apple frames that one at the app level instead: "Apps might transcode a ProRes video to a smaller H.264 format if ProRes isn't supported." Again "might", and again the condition is the receiving app.
My clip imported fine but won't play on an old machine. Now what? Convert it on the desktop rather than fighting the phone. The QuickTime export route above is Apple's own; for a batch, a browser converter is faster. See why HEVC files fail to play on Google Drive for the same problem on the upload side.
Getting an iPhone file into a shape that a given app will accept is usually a two-minute container or codec change. Browse more how-to guides, convert a QuickTime file with MOV to MP4, or pick from all Clapr tools.
Quotes from Apple's Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices, Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC, About Apple ProRes on iPhone, Set up and use iCloud Photos, and the iOS 27 iPhone User Guide, checked 16 September 2026.
