What is a HEIC file, and how do you open it?
HEIC is the photo format iPhones use by default. It saves space, but many computers, apps and forms cannot open it. Here is what it is and what to do.
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What is a HEIC file?
A HEIC file (.heic, sometimes .heif) is a photo saved in the High Efficiency Image Format. Apple made it the default camera format on iPhones and iPads in 2017, and most iPhone photos you copy to a computer today are HEIC files.
Its main advantage is size. A HEIC photo usually takes about half the space of a JPG that looks the same, so your phone holds roughly twice as many photos. It also supports things JPG cannot, such as storing a Live Photo’s still frame, depth information for portrait mode, and 10-bit color.
Like a JPG, a HEIC file also carries hidden details: the date and time, the phone model, and often the exact location where the photo was taken.
Why some devices cannot open it
HEIC uses a newer kind of compression (HEVC) that older programs and many websites never added. That is why a HEIC photo may show as a blank icon on a Windows PC, be refused by an upload form, or fail to open in an Android app.
How to open a HEIC file
| Device | Can it open HEIC? |
|---|---|
| iPhone and iPad | Yes, in Photos and Files |
| Mac | Yes, in Photos and Preview |
| Windows 10 and 11 | Yes, after installing the free HEIF Image Extensions and the HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store (the HEVC one may cost a small fee) |
| Android | Many newer phones can show HEIC in their gallery app or Google Photos; older phones often cannot |
| Web browsers | Safari can; Chrome, Edge and Firefox usually cannot |
| Upload forms and websites | Often not; most ask for JPG or PNG |
If you only need to look at a photo, the built-in options above are enough. If you need to send it, upload it or open it everywhere, convert it.
HEIC vs JPG
| Feature | HEIC | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Smaller (about half) | Larger |
| Opens everywhere | No | Yes |
| Quality at normal sizes | Excellent | Excellent; differences are hard to see |
| Live Photos, depth data | Supported | Not supported (only the still image) |
When should you convert HEIC to JPG?
- A website or form rejects your photo, or asks for JPG.
- You are sending photos to someone on Windows or Android.
- A printing service, editing app or older program will not open them.
The quickest way is our HEIC to JPG converter: add many photos at once, keep the date, remove the location if you like, and download them all as a ZIP. Your photos never leave your device. If you need a lossless copy for editing, use HEIC to PNG instead.
Is it safe to delete the HEIC files after converting?
Keep the originals until you have checked the converted photos. The HEIC file is the smaller, higher-quality original from your phone; a JPG is a copy made for compatibility.
Related tools
- HEIC to JPG converter
Convert iPhone HEIC photos to JPG in your browser, many at once, with location removed.
- HEIC to PNG converter
Convert iPhone HEIC photos to lossless PNG files in your browser, many at once.
- Image compressor
Reduce image size in KB to an exact target, with an optional minimum size.