HEIC files: why iPhone photos will not open, and what to do
What HEIC is, why Windows, Android and upload forms refuse iPhone photos, and how to turn them into JPG or PNG in your browser without uploading them.
At a glance
- Type
- Image
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extensions
- .heic, .heif
- MIME type
- image/heic
- Also known as
- HEIF, iPhone photo
HEIC is the file an iPhone camera writes. The format underneath is HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format, standardised by MPEG in 2015; a .heic file is a HEIF container holding images compressed with HEVC, the video codec also known as H.265. Apple made it the camera default in iOS 11 in 2017, and every iPhone since has saved its photos that way unless told otherwise.
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The reason is size. Coding a photograph as a video keyframe stores it in roughly half the space a JPEG needs at similar quality, which matters on a phone that takes thousands of pictures. HEIF also holds what JPEG cannot: several images in one file for bursts and Live Photos, depth maps for portrait mode, transparency, and 10-bit colour. Large photos are stored as a grid of tiles that the viewer stitches back together.
The cost is compatibility. HEVC is covered by patents that carry licence fees, so support arrived slowly outside Apple. Windows shows HEIC only after installing extensions from the Microsoft Store, one of which is paid; Chrome and Firefox do not decode it at all; and many upload forms, print services and older programs reject the file outright. An iPhone converts to JPG automatically when it shares by some routes, but not all, and a photo copied off by cable or cloud sync usually arrives as HEIC.
Converting is the reliable fix. JPG is the target for a photo that needs to open anywhere — it comes out around twice the size of the HEIC. PNG suits a photo you are about to edit, or one with transparency, at several times the size. Here the decoding is done by libheif, the reference decoder, running in your browser as WebAssembly, so the photos stay on your device; the converted copy carries no location or camera metadata.
Convert HEIC to other formats
HEIC FAQ
What is a HEIC file?
A photo in the High Efficiency Image File Format, compressed with the HEVC codec. It is what iPhones save by default, and it stores a picture in about half the space of a JPEG at similar quality.
Why can I not open HEIC on Windows?
Because Windows does not decode HEVC out of the box. It needs the HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store, the second of which costs money. Converting to JPG avoids needing either.
Is HEIC better than JPG?
On compression, yes — similar quality in about half the size — and it supports transparency, 10-bit colour and multiple images. JPG's advantage is that everything opens it, which is usually the one that matters when sharing.
HEIC to JPG or to PNG?
JPG for sharing and uploading. PNG when you are about to edit the photo, or when it has transparency to keep. The PNG will be several times larger than the HEIC; the JPG around twice.
Is HEIF the same as HEIC?
HEIF is the container format; HEIC is HEIF holding HEVC-compressed images, which is what iPhones produce. The .heif extension is sometimes used for the same files, and this converter accepts both.
Are my photos uploaded when I convert them here?
No. The decoder runs in your browser; it is a 1.4 MB download on your first conversion and nothing more. Convert one photo, go offline, and convert another to see for yourself.
Does converting keep the photo's location and date?
No. The browser's canvas carries no metadata across, so GPS coordinates, camera details and the capture date are stripped. That protects your location when you share, but keep the original if you need the date.
How do I make my iPhone save JPG instead?
Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPG and take more space; existing ones stay HEIC.