HEIC is the format an iPhone uses when Settings › Camera › Formats is set to High Efficiency, which has been the default since iOS 11 in 2017. On a Mac or another iPhone the file simply opens. Elsewhere it often does not. Windows without the right codec shows an error, many web forms, photo labs and older programs accept only JPG, and a recipient on an older PC may see an empty icon. Converting to JPG is the dependable fix.
Why HEIC files cause trouble outside Apple
A .heic file is a HEIF container, standardised as ISO/IEC 23008-12, holding pictures compressed with HEVC (H.265), the codec used for 4K video. Apple advertised the switch as the same quality at about half the file size of JPEG. The catch is licensing: HEVC is covered by thousands of patents spread over several pools, so many software vendors chose not to ship a decoder. That is why a format that has been on every iPhone since the iPhone 7 still shows up as „unsupported“ in so many places.
On Windows 10 and 11 the Photos app needs two Microsoft Store packages: HEIF Image Extensions (free, preinstalled on many Windows 11 PCs) and HEVC Video Extensions, which on most computers is a paid app for about one dollar or euro. If Photos shows a blank picture or asks for a codec, the HEVC part is the one missing. On a company PC where you cannot install Store apps, converting the files is usually quicker.
What our converter does with a HEIC photo
- Other extensions: files with the .heif and .hif extensions (Canon and Sony cameras) are read the same way. Everything runs on our own servers in the Czech Republic.
- Primary image only. A HEIC file can hold several pictures: thumbnails, the depth map from Portrait mode, burst frames. You get the main photo, the rest is ignored.
- Orientation is applied to the pixels. The JPG comes out upright in every viewer, including web uploaders that ignore the EXIF rotation flag.
- Quality 90, no resizing. A 12 or 48 megapixel photo stays 12 or 48 megapixels. The JPG is usually considerably larger than the HEIC, often around twice the size, because JPEG compresses less efficiently.
- Metadata is kept. EXIF (date taken, camera, exposure) including the GPS location is copied into the JPG, together with the colour profile. iPhones record in the Display P3 colour space and the JPG keeps that profile.
- HDR is not carried over. Recent iPhones store extra brightness data for HDR screens. The JPG contains the standard (SDR) image.
Because the location stays in the file, think before posting converted photos publicly. On the iPhone you can turn location off when sharing: tap Options at the top of the share sheet and switch off Location. On Windows, the file's Properties › Details › „Remove Properties and Personal Information“ strips it from the JPG afterwards.
Live Photos
A Live Photo is really two files: a HEIC still and a short MOV clip. Converting the HEIC gives you the still image. The motion is in the MOV file, which you can turn into an ordinary video with MOV to MP4.
Common problems and how to fix them
HEIC won't open on Windows
Install both Store extensions mentioned above, or convert the photos here and keep using any viewer you like. JPG opens in Windows Photos, Paint, Word and every browser without extra codecs.
„File type not supported“ on a website or at the photo lab
Portals for job applications, online shops, print services and government forms typically allow JPG, PNG and PDF. Convert to JPG; if the form wants a PDF, combine the JPGs afterwards with JPG to PDF.
The photo is sideways after upload
The site reads only the pixels and ignores the rotation tag. Our output already has the rotation applied, so it stays upright.
Colours look duller in some programs
Display P3 is wider than sRGB. A program that ignores colour profiles shows P3 values as if they were sRGB, which looks slightly washed out. Browsers and photo apps handle the profile correctly; a few upload tools strip it.
Avoid HEIC at the source
- Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible: new photos are saved as JPEG and videos as H.264. Photos then take noticeably more storage.
- Settings › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC › Automatic (in iOS 18 under Settings › Apps › Photos): the iPhone converts to JPEG when you copy photos to a computer over a cable. „Keep Originals“ copies HEIC.
- Mac: open the photos in Preview, select them, choose File › Export and pick JPEG.
The online converter makes sense when you are on Linux or a Chromebook, on a PC where you cannot install anything, or when someone sent you a batch of HEIC files from their phone. You can upload up to 10 files at a time (100 MB each) and download the results as one ZIP.
HEIC and JPG compared
| HEIC | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | ISO/IEC 23008-12 (HEIF) with HEVC | ISO/IEC 10918-1 (1992) |
| File size at similar quality | roughly half | reference |
| Bit depth | 8 or 10 bits per channel | 8 bits |
| Several images in one file | yes (depth maps, bursts) | no |
| Support | Apple; Windows with extensions | practically everywhere |
More detail: Apple's guide to HEIF and HEVC, the Library of Congress description of HEIC and our page on the JPG format.