HEIC Converter
HEIC is the format an iPhone saves photos in by default, and it stores them at roughly half the size of an equivalent JPG. That efficiency is why Apple adopted it and why it travels badly: outside Apple's ecosystem, support is patchy enough that converting before sharing is usually the safe move.
HEIC at a glance
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container |
|---|---|
| Extension | .heic |
| MIME type | image/heic |
| Compression | Lossy and lossless |
| Transparency | Yes |
| Animation | No |
| Colours | 16.7M (24-bit) |
| Browser support | Safari, iOS; limited elsewhere |
| Typical use | iPhone/iPad photos (default since iOS 11) |
| Introduced | 2015 |
Convert HEIC to another format
Create HEIC from another format
More about HEIC
Still stuck? Try the help centre or the FAQ.
Already have HEIC files that are too large? Compress HEIC instead of converting.
HEIC questions
Why can I not open HEIC files on Windows?
Windows 10 and 11 need the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, and on some builds the HEVC Video Extensions as well, which is a paid item. Converting to JPG avoids the problem for anyone you send the photo to as well as for yourself.
How do I stop my iPhone saving photos as HEIC?
Settings, Camera, Formats, then Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG from that point, at roughly twice the storage. Existing HEIC photos stay as they are, so they still need converting.
Is HEIC the same as HEIF?
HEIF is the container standard; HEIC is that container holding HEVC-encoded images, which is what Apple writes. The extensions .heic and .heif both appear in the wild and KoalaPic accepts either.
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
One lossy re-encode, which at quality 85 or above is not visible in normal viewing. What is genuinely lost is HEIC's 16-bit depth and any depth or Live Photo data, none of which JPG can carry.