Free
Zamzar
Converts a file from one format to another in the browser, on a Windows or Mac app, or by email, covering the awkward and obsolete formats other tools skip.
FreemiumBeginnerWebWindowsMac
Overview
Zamzar changes a file from one format into another. Its homepage lists over 1,100 supported formats, including old, obscure and industry-specific ones. For photos that covers HEIC to JPG, camera RAW files such as CR2, NEF, ARW and DNG, and PSD, AI, EPS and SVG artwork. You can resize or rotate the picture in the same step.
It runs in a browser, in a Windows and Mac app, and by email. Free use needs no account: 2 conversions and 2 compressions in any 24 hour period, on files up to 50 MB. Paid plans are monthly subscriptions with unlimited website conversions a day, larger uploads and more conversions at once.
Key features
✓Converts between over 1,100 formats
✓Handles the obscure & legacy formats others skip
✓Camera RAW files: CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG & more
✓Everyday photo jobs like HEIC to JPG
✓Resize & rotate while converting, with social media presets
✓Separate compress, black & white and image-to-text tools
✓Imports from a URL, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive & OneDrive
✓Converts files you attach or forward by email
✓Windows & Mac desktop app
✓REST API for conversion inside your own software
When to use
Zamzar fits when the format is the problem. Use it if:
- You have a file in a format nothing on your machine will open.
- You have camera RAW, PSD or vector artwork to turn into a JPG or PNG.
- You need an ordinary photo conversion, such as an iPhone HEIC file into a JPG that everyone can open.
- You want to resize or rotate the picture in the same step, including to preset sizes for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X.
- Your files live in Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box or behind a link, since it can import from all of them.
- You want conversion inside your own software, which the REST API covers.
When NOT to use
Skip Zamzar if any of these describe you:
- You want to fix the photo, not only its format. Resize, rotate and compress are as far as it goes, so anything else needs a photo editor.
- Your files are confidential. Every file is uploaded to Zamzar's servers, including from the desktop app. A converter that runs on your own machine avoids that, though Squoosh only covers common web image formats.
- You want the result back in your cloud drive. Zamzar imports from cloud storage but does not write to it, so the file comes back as a download or an emailed link.
- You are converting one common pair over and over. A single-purpose image converter will be quicker.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, and it needs no account. The free web service runs 2 conversions and 2 compressions in any 24 hour period, on files up to 50 MB. The output is a full download, not a preview. The desktop app has its own free allowance of 25 conversions on files up to 50 MB.
Not on the website. A paid plan runs unlimited website conversions a day, and free users get 2 in any 24 hour period. Credits belong to the separate developer API, where every successful conversion costs at least one credit and bigger or more complex files cost more. If you are using the site or the desktop app, credits do not apply to you.
Paid plans are monthly subscriptions with a one month minimum, and you can cancel any time. They raise the file size limit, run unlimited website conversions a day, and allow more conversions at once. They also put your jobs higher in the queue, download faster, and give you a My Files inbox that holds your converted files.
Zamzar states that your original file is deleted as soon as it has been converted. On the free service the converted file is kept for a maximum of 24 hours. On a paid account converted files stay in your My Files inbox until you delete them, and you can download them again as many times as you want. They are removed 35 days after a paid account closes. Originals from failed conversions are kept up to 7 days.
Only a little. The converter's advanced settings resize the image, by percentage or to a preset size for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or X, and rotate it 90, 180 or 270 degrees. Zamzar also has separate tools to compress a file, make it black and white, and pull text out of an image. It will not sharpen a blurry photo or correct the colour, so that work belongs in a photo editor.
For a common conversion, a local tool is faster and nothing leaves your machine. Zamzar is for the formats nothing local will open: old proprietary types, camera RAW, CAD and other industry formats. Zamzar states that most files are converted in less than 10 minutes.
Alternatives to Zamzar
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CloudConvert
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FreeConvert
FreeConvert is a free online file converter for 1500-plus conversions across images, video, audio and documents, with no install.
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