Why You Can’t Print iPhone Photos at Walmart, Walgreens & CVS (And How to Fix It)
Updated: January 2026
Picture this: You have selected 50 beautiful photos from your recent vacation to print. You log into the Walgreens or Shutterfly app, or you plug your phone into the yellow kiosk at Walmart.
Instead of seeing your photos, you see… nothing. Or worse, you get an error message saying “File Format Not Supported” or “0 Photos Found.”
The problem isn’t your phone cable or the kiosk’s software. The problem is that photo printing machines are built for JPGs, but your iPhone is sending them HEIC files.
Why Photo Labs Reject HEIC Files
Commercial photo printers use software that, in many cases, hasn’t changed much in a decade. These systems expect the universal standard: JPG.
When you upload an HEIC file from your iPhone:
- In-Store Kiosks: Often fail to recognize the file extension entirely, showing an empty folder.
- Online Uploaders (Shutterfly/Snapfish): May show an “Upload Error” or, surprisingly, might upload the file but print it with strange color distortions.
This is very similar to the issue users face with government portals. (Read more: Why Government Websites Reject iPhone Photos).
The Fix: Convert Before You Upload
To ensure your prints come out looking exactly like they do on your screen, you simply need to change the format to JPG before you upload them to the printing service.
- Visit HEICtoJPGFast.com on your computer or phone.
- Select the photos you want to print.
- Convert and download the JPG versions.
- Upload those new files to Walgreens, CVS, or Costco.
Printing an Entire Album?
If you are trying to print 100+ photos for a scrapbook or holiday card, converting them one by one is too slow.
You need to use a Batch Converter. Our tool is designed to handle unlimited files at once, running directly on your computer so it doesn’t crash like other “Cloud” converters.
Learn how: Guide to Batch Converting Unlimited Photos.
Will Converting Ruin the Print Quality?
This is the #1 worry for people printing photos. You don’t want your 8×10 print to look pixelated.
The Answer: No.
As long as you use a high-quality converter (like ours), the visual difference is indistinguishable to the human eye. We preserve the resolution and color depth of your original iPhone image.
Deep Dive: Read our technical comparison on HEIC vs. JPG Quality here.
Photo Lab FAQ
Which stores support HEIC natively?
Some newer kiosks at specialized camera shops support HEIC, but the big chains (Walmart, CVS, Walgreens) are inconsistent. It depends on how recently that specific store updated their machine’s software. Converting to JPG is the only way to be 100% sure it will work.
I have an Android but my wife sends me iPhone photos. Can I print them?
If she sent you HEIC files, your Android might not even open them, let alone print them. You will need to convert them first. See our guide on Opening iPhone Photos on Android.