How to Batch Convert Images on Mac

Which format should you convert to?

• JPG: photos, and anything that has to work everywhere: upload forms, email, older apps.
• PNG: screenshots, text, logos, and anything with a transparent background.
• WebP: images for a website. Smaller than JPG at similar quality, with optional transparency.
• HEIC: photos you'll only view on Apple devices. About half the size of a JPG.

For single-format jobs, there are step-by-step guides for HEIC to JPG, PNG to JPG, and WebP to JPG.

Method 1: Convert Image in Finder

Built into macOS Monterey and later, and it handles mixed batches in one go.

1. Select the images in Finder. They can be different formats.
2. Right-click and choose Quick Actions → Convert Image.
3. Pick a Format (JPEG, PNG, or HEIF) and an Image Size. Actual Size keeps the full resolution.
4. Click Convert. The new files appear next to the originals.

It's the quickest option, but it only offers those three formats.

Method 2: Export Selected Images in Preview

1. Select the images in Finder and press Command-O to open them together in Preview.
2. Click any thumbnail in the sidebar and press Command-A to select them all.
3. Choose File → Export Selected Images and click Options.
4. Pick the format (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, and a few others), choose a folder, and click Choose.

Preview writes new files into the folder you picked, so the originals stay as they were. Its export list usually doesn't include WebP; use Method 4 when you need it.

Method 3: Convert a folder with sips

For hundreds of files, the built-in sips command converts everything in one loop. This turns every HEIC, PNG, TIFF, and WebP file in a folder into a JPG:

cd ~/Desktop/images
mkdir -p converted
setopt nullglob nocaseglob
for f in *.{heic,png,tif,tiff,webp}; do
  sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 85 "$f" --out "converted/${f%.*}.jpg"
done

• Change format jpeg and the .jpg ending to png to make PNGs instead (and drop formatOptions, which only applies to JPG).
• The setopt line matches upper- and lowercase extensions and skips types the folder doesn't have.
• Reading WebP needs macOS Big Sur or later.

Method 4: Convert any batch with FinderBuddy

FinderBuddy's Convert Image sits in Finder's right-click menu and converts between JPG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC, including to WebP, which Finder's Convert Image can't do. Select the files, right-click, choose FinderBuddy → Convert Image, and pick the format.

From the same menu you can resize or compress the converted batch, all on your Mac. See pricing.

Tips for clean batch conversions

• Keep the originals until you've checked a few converted files. Converting to JPG and back doesn't restore detail.
• Watch transparent images. JPG fills transparent areas with a solid color, so convert logos and icons to PNG or WebP.
• Rename afterwards if the names are camera numbers like IMG_4821. See how to batch rename files on Mac.