Need to turn iPhone photos into a PDF — for a receipt, a form, or a document you have to email — but your photos are all in HEIC? You don't need to install anything. Here are the free ways to convert HEIC to PDF right on your iPhone, and why the browser-based route is the one I reach for.
Method 1: The Files app (built-in, one photo at a time)
The simplest trick uses nothing but iOS itself:
- Open the Photos app, select a photo, tap Share, and save it to Files.
- Open Files, long-press the image, and choose Create PDF.
It works, and it is completely offline. The catch: you can only convert one image at a time this way, and multi-photo PDFs require merging afterwards in another app. Fine for a single receipt, tedious for a ten-page scan.
Method 2: A Shortcuts automation (built-in, reusable)
Apple's Shortcuts app can do the conversion for you:
- Open Shortcuts and create a new shortcut.
- Add the Select Photos action, then add Make PDF.
- Add Save File or Share at the end so you get the result.
Run it, pick your HEIC photos, and you get a single multi-page PDF. This is powerful once set up — but most people never build the shortcut, and debugging a broken shortcut on a deadline is no fun.
Method 3: Print to PDF from Photos (built-in, hidden)
There is a lesser-known path: select photos in the Photos app, tap Share, choose Print, then pinch out on the print preview (or tap the Share icon on the preview) and select Save to Files. iOS renders the selection as a PDF. It supports multiple photos, but the page sizing is print-oriented and you get little control over quality.
Method 4: A browser converter that runs locally (no app, no upload)
This is my preferred option. Open Safari, pick your HEIC photos in a converter that decodes them locally with WebAssembly, arrange the pages, and download the PDF — all without creating an account or installing an app.
The privacy angle matters here. Most "free" online converters upload your photos to a server, process them, and promise to delete them. Maybe they do. With a converter that runs entirely in your browser, your photos never leave your phone — there is nothing to trust, because there is nothing to upload. For anything containing IDs, receipts, or family photos, that difference is decisive.
A good local converter also handles batches: select twenty HEIC photos, reorder them, and export one clean PDF. Try doing that with the Files app one photo at a time.
For a solid option, try FileOnTap's free HEIC to PDF converter — it converts HEIC to PDF directly in the browser, free, with no uploads and no watermark.
Which method should you use?
- One quick PDF, no fuss: Files app → Create PDF.
- Repeatable workflow: build the Shortcuts automation once, reuse forever.
- Batch conversion with privacy: a local browser-based converter — no install, no upload, works on any device.
Whatever you choose, you never need a sketchy "free PDF" app full of ads and subscriptions. Your iPhone already has everything required, and for the heavy lifting, the browser is enough.
Disclosure: I'm the developer of FileOnTap.
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