What Is a HEIC File? How to Open and Convert It

What is a HEIC file?

A HEIC file is a photo saved in the High Efficiency Image Container format. It is what an iPhone produces by default, it is usually about half the size of a JPEG of the same picture, and it is the reason a photo that looks fine on your phone can refuse to open on a Windows PC, an older Android phone, or a website upload form.

Extension

.heic (sometimes .heif)

Made by

iPhone and iPad cameras since iOS 11

Compression

HEVC (H.265) inside a HEIF container

Have a HEIC file right now?

Open it or convert it in this browser

Both tools decode the photo inside this tab. The file is not uploaded, nothing is installed, and the viewer writes no new file.

Convert HEIC to JPG Just view the photo

What HEIC means

HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. Technically it is a HEIF file — the High Efficiency Image File Format standard — whose images are compressed with HEVC, the same codec family used for modern video. Apple adopted it for the iPhone camera in iOS 11 in 2017 because it stores a photo in roughly half the space of a JPEG without a visible loss in quality.

A HEIC is also more than one picture in a file. The container can hold bursts, the still frame of a Live Photo, depth maps for portrait mode, thumbnails, and 10-bit HDR colour, alongside EXIF metadata such as the camera model, capture time and GPS location. That flexibility is why the format is efficient on the phone, and also why older software that expects a single, simple image cannot read it. If you want the container-level detail, the HEIC, HEIF and AVIF explainer covers brands and codecs.

How to open a HEIC file

Whether a HEIC opens with a double-click depends on the operating system and which codecs are installed.

iPhone and iPad

Photos opens HEIC natively on iOS 11 and later. Nothing to install.

Mac

Preview and Photos open HEIC natively on macOS High Sierra and later.

Windows 10 and 11

Photos opens HEIC after you add Microsoft’s HEIF Image Extensions; many files also need the HEVC Video Extensions. Without them the file shows no preview.

Android

Recent Android versions and most gallery apps open HEIC, but support depends on the phone maker and app. Older phones may show nothing.

Any browser

The HEIC viewer on this site decodes the photo inside the browser tab, so it works without a codec or an app on any of the systems above.

HEIC vs JPEG

HEIC wins on efficiency and on what it can store; JPEG wins on compatibility, which is usually the thing that matters when you are sending a photo to someone else.

Property	HEIC	JPEG
Full name	High Efficiency Image Container (HEIF holding HEVC images)	Joint Photographic Experts Group
Typical file size	Often around half the size of a comparable JPEG	Larger for the same visual quality
Who can open it	Apple devices, recent Android, Windows with extensions	Practically every device, app and website
Images per file	One or many: bursts, Live Photo stills, depth maps	One
Colour depth	Up to 10-bit, HDR capable	8-bit
Transparency	Supported by the format	Not supported
Best for	Storing photos on the device that took them	Sharing, uploading, printing, older software

Should you convert HEIC files?

Keep the HEIC originals if they live on an Apple device or in iCloud Photos: they are smaller and hold more information. Make a converted copy when the photo has to go somewhere that does not read HEIC — a Windows program, a web form, a print shop, or a relative’s older phone.

HEIC to JPG for sharing and uploads; the smallest widely compatible copy.
HEIC to PNG when the copy will be edited again and a second lossy encode should be avoided.
HEIC to PDF to put receipts, documents or a set of photos into one file.
Bulk HEIC to JPG for a folder of photos at once, downloaded as a ZIP.

Step-by-step instructions for each platform, including the built-in options, are in the guides for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. A file with a .heif extension converts the same way on the HEIF to JPG page.

How to stop an iPhone saving HEIC

Open Settings and choose Camera.
Choose Formats.
Select Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPEG from now on.

This does not change photos you have already taken, and JPEG files take more storage. An alternative is to keep High Efficiency and set Settings, then Photos, then Transfer to Mac or PC to Automatic, which converts copies to JPEG when you import them over a cable.

Not sure the file is really HEIC?

A file extension is only a label. Photos renamed by hand, saved from a website, or passed through messaging apps can carry a .heic name while containing a JPEG or an AVIF. The image format detector reads the first bytes of the file locally and tells you what it actually is.

HEIC questions people ask

Is a HEIC file the same as a JPEG?

No. Both hold photos, but HEIC uses newer HEVC compression inside a HEIF container, while JPEG uses a much older codec. A HEIC can also hold several images and 10-bit colour. Renaming a .heic file to .jpg does not convert it; the bytes inside are still HEIC, and most apps will refuse the renamed file.

Why does my iPhone take photos in HEIC?

Since iOS 11 the camera’s default format is High Efficiency, which saves photos as HEIC to use roughly half the storage of JPEG at similar quality. You can switch to JPEG with Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible. Photos already taken stay HEIC.

Is HEIC better quality than JPEG?

At the same file size, HEIC usually keeps more detail than JPEG, and it can store 10-bit and HDR colour that JPEG cannot. At ordinary viewing sizes most people cannot tell a well-made JPEG from the HEIC it came from. The practical difference is compatibility, not appearance.

Can I stop iPhone sending HEIC files to my PC?

Yes. Settings, then Photos, then Transfer to Mac or PC set to Automatic makes the iPhone convert photos to JPEG when it copies them to a computer over a cable. Mail and many apps also convert on the way out. AirDrop to a Mac keeps the original HEIC.

Will converting HEIC to JPG lose quality or data?

JPEG is lossy, so a converted copy discards a little detail, normally invisible at a high quality setting. HDR and 10-bit colour become ordinary 8-bit colour, and only the first image of a burst or Live Photo is kept. The converter on this site also removes EXIF, GPS and capture-date metadata, which protects location but drops camera details.

Is it safe to open a HEIC file online?

It depends on the site. Many online converters upload the photo to a server. The HEIC viewer and converters here decode the file inside your own browser tab and have no file-upload endpoint, which you can confirm in the browser’s Network panel.