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Convert image formats on Mac with sips

Turn PNG into JPEG (or TIFF, GIF, HEIC and more) straight from Terminal — no app needed.

macOSTerminalLow risk
Run the command below — photo.jpg is written next to the original; the source PNG stays untouched.

01Command

Command
$ sips -s format jpeg photo.png --out photo.jpg

02What it does

sips (scriptable image processing system) is built into macOS. -s format jpeg picks the target format (also png, tiff, gif, bmp, jp2, heic on modern versions); --out writes to a new file so the original is preserved. Convert a whole folder with a loop: for f in *.png; do sips -s format jpeg "$f" --out "${f%.png}.jpg"; done. Add -s formatOptions 80 to set JPEG quality, or -s dpiHeight/-s dpiWidth for print metadata.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
CompatibilitymacOS 10.11 El Capitan – 15 Sequoia
!Warning: JPEG has no transparency — converting a PNG with transparent areas fills them white.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • macOS sips command reference
    SS64 · technical · 2026-09-16
    Evidence: sips -s format converts images between jpeg, tiff, png, gif, jp2, pict, bmp, qtif, psd, sgi and tga.

Last verified: 2026-09-16 · Category: Media

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