Image format · .heic
HEIC: what it’s for
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's default iPhone photo format: roughly half the size of JPG with 10-bit color, Live Photos, and burst support. The catch is compatibility — most non-Apple software cannot open HEIC, so convert to JPG or PNG before sharing anywhere.
Strengths
- About 50% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality
- 10-bit color and Live Photos, bursts, and depth data in one file
- Default on iPhones, so no settings change needed to benefit
- Our tools decode HEIC locally via heic2any — nothing uploads
Honest limits
- Browsers cannot decode HEIC natively or encode it at all — no tool on this page writes HEIC, only reads it
- Windows and Android support is spotty; always convert before sharing cross-platform
- HEIC-to-WebP and HEIC-to-AVIF paths are unreliable (decoder output limits), so convert to JPG or PNG
- Live Photo motion and depth data do not survive conversion — you keep the still
Free HEIC tools
Every tool runs in your browser — files never leave your device. Badges say exactly what each tool does with HEIC.
- HEIC to JPGReads HEIC
- HEIC to PNGReads HEIC
- HEIC to GIFReads HEIC
- HEIC to PDFReads HEIC
HEIC FAQs
Why can't I open HEIC photos on Windows?
Windows needs a paid HEIC extension most PCs lack. Convert HEIC to JPG instead — universal, and visually identical for sharing.
Can I convert JPG back to HEIC?
No — browsers have no HEIC encoder, so no web tool here can write HEIC. This is a platform limitation, not a missing feature.
Do HEIC conversions keep photo quality?
Yes. HEIC is decoded losslessly in memory, then exported at high quality (JPG 0.92) — the still you get matches what you saw on the iPhone.
Are my iPhone photos uploaded?
Never. HEIC decoding runs locally in your browser via WebAssembly; photos stay on your device.