Doesn't the Photos app already mirror pictures?

It can: open the photo, tap Edit, then the crop tool, and the flip button at the top left. That rewrites the photo in your library. This page leaves the original alone and gives you a separate mirrored copy, and it also handles pictures that are not in Photos — a file from Files, Mail or a chat.

How do I stop my iPhone mirroring selfies?

Settings, Camera, Mirror Front Camera (iOS 14 and later). With it on, selfies are saved as the preview showed them, mirrored; with it off, they are saved un-mirrored. It changes future photos only.

Does it keep the date and location?

A JPEG saved as a JPEG keeps its EXIF, with the orientation reset and the embedded thumbnail removed. A HEIC written as JPEG starts fresh, because the browser decodes the HEIC and its metadata is not carried across. If you would rather not share where a photo was taken, choose "keep everything except location".

Why is there no Save to Photos button?

The share sheet appears only where Safari allows sharing files from a page — iOS 15 and later. On older versions, the download lands in Files; from there, Share, Save Image puts it in Photos.

Is it a Live Photo afterwards?

No. The still frame is flipped and saved as a normal photo; the motion part of a Live Photo is not read.

The mirror runs in this tab, on your own file.

Mirror an image on iPhone

Choose a photo in Safari, flip it, and save the copy to Photos. HEIC photos open here too; your original stays as it is.

Mirrored

Original

Nothing has been read yet. The two panels above are a drawing, not a file — the sign on the right is the one on the left reflected, which is the whole operation.

Open an image. Choose an axis.

The result is drawn from the same pixels, in reverse order.

Tap to choose a photo from your library — HEIC works.

Nothing to hand? and watch the words reverse.

On the phone itself

A mirror without an app

Mirroring a photo on an iPhone usually means an editing app, or the flip button hidden in the Photos crop screen, which changes the photo in your library. This page does it in Safari and gives you a separate copy. It is laid out for a phone: the original and the mirrored version stack one above the other, the save button stays at the bottom of the screen, and the two edges of the picture are themselves buttons that flip it.

iPhone photos are HEIC files, which Safari can show but a web page cannot normally read. The first time you open one, the page fetches a HEIC reader from this site — about 700 KB, once, and your photo is not sent with it. The mirrored copy is written as a JPEG at quality 90, which every app and website accepts. After saving, the share sheet is offered, so Save Image puts the copy straight into Photos.

Four steps

Running it

Tap to choose a photo. Safari offers Photo Library, Take Photo or Choose File. iPhone photos are usually HEIC; the HEIC reader is fetched from this site the first time one is opened, about 700 KB, once.
Check the flip. The page opens on a left-to-right mirror with both versions on screen, stacked. Tap the edges of the picture, or the axis buttons, to change it.
Download. A HEIC is written as a JPEG at quality 90 — smaller than a PNG, and every app takes it. A JPEG or PNG keeps its own format.
Save to Photos. After the download, tap "Save to Photos or share" to open the share sheet and choose Save Image. The download stays in Files either way.

Real numbers

A worked example

A 4032 × 3024 HEIC from an iPhone opens in Safari after the one-off reader download. The mirrored copy is written as a 4032 × 3024 JPEG at quality 90; the readout shows its estimated size before you save, typically a few megabytes for a 12-megapixel photo. Safari on iPhone holds about 16 megapixels comfortably, so a 48-megapixel ProRAW-sized photo is offered as a lighter copy no longer than 3600 px on its long edge, and the readout says so.

HEIC metadata is not carried. The HEIC is decoded by the browser; the JPEG written from it starts without EXIF.
Very large photos work as a lighter copy. Safari's canvas limit is far below a desktop's, so photos past it are offered at a smaller size first.
Live Photos become stills. Only the still frame is read and mirrored.

Asked often

Common questions

Doesn't the Photos app already mirror pictures?: It can: open the photo, tap Edit, then the crop tool, and the flip button at the top left. That rewrites the photo in your library. This page leaves the original alone and gives you a separate mirrored copy, and it also handles pictures that are not in Photos — a file from Files, Mail or a chat.
How do I stop my iPhone mirroring selfies?: Settings, Camera, Mirror Front Camera (iOS 14 and later). With it on, selfies are saved as the preview showed them, mirrored; with it off, they are saved un-mirrored. It changes future photos only.
Does it keep the date and location?: A JPEG saved as a JPEG keeps its EXIF, with the orientation reset and the embedded thumbnail removed. A HEIC written as JPEG starts fresh, because the browser decodes the HEIC and its metadata is not carried across. If you would rather not share where a photo was taken, choose "keep everything except location".
Why is there no Save to Photos button?: The share sheet appears only where Safari allows sharing files from a page — iOS 15 and later. On older versions, the download lands in Files; from there, Share, Save Image puts it in Photos.
Is it a Live Photo afterwards?: No. The still frame is flipped and saved as a normal photo; the motion part of a Live Photo is not read.

Elsewhere on this site

Mirror a selfie
The front camera, and its Mirror Front Camera switch.
A mirror that doesn't reverse you
Your camera, un-mirrored, in the browser.
Batch flip images
A folder of photos, each by its own orientation.

In your library

Mirrored copy

The copy is mirrored; the photo in your library stays as it was.