What Is HEIC and How to Convert It
Your iPhone takes photos in HEIC format. Almost nothing else opens HEIC natively. This single mismatch is the source of enormous everyday frustration — photos that won't upload, images that appear as blank files on Windows, and attachment previews that show nothing.
What HEIC is
HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It uses the HEVC (H.265) video compression codec to compress still images. Apple adopted it as the default iPhone photo format starting with iOS 11 in 2017.
The key advantage is file size. A typical HEIC photo is about half the size of an equivalent JPG at comparable visual quality. For a phone that takes thousands of photos, this matters significantly for storage. Apple estimates that HEIC uses about half the storage of JPG for the same image quality.
HEIF is the container format; HEIC is the specific variant Apple uses. You'll sometimes see .heif files, which are essentially the same thing.
Why other systems can't open HEIC
HEIC uses patent-encumbered compression technology. Device manufacturers need licences to decode it. Apple licences the format for its own devices, but Windows, Android, and Linux don't include HEIC support by default.
Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC files if you install the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store (it's free). But most applications — photo editors, upload forms, email clients — don't use the Windows image codec directly, so they still can't handle HEIC even after you install the extension.
How to convert HEIC to JPG or PNG
On iPhone: go to Settings → Camera → Formats and switch from High Efficiency to Most Compatible. This changes new photos to JPG. Existing HEIC photos aren't converted, but they'll be automatically converted to JPG when you AirDrop or share them.
On Mac: open the HEIC file in Preview, then File → Export and choose JPG or PNG from the format dropdown. This works for individual files. For bulk conversion, Automator has a "Change Type of Images" action.
On Windows: you can install the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store and then open HEIC files in Photos app, but converting to JPG typically requires a third-party tool.
Online: an online HEIC converter handles the conversion in your browser without installing anything. This is the fastest option for occasional files, especially on Windows.
Should you convert to JPG or PNG?
For most uses — sharing, uploading, emailing — convert to JPG. The file will be smaller and universally accepted. Convert to PNG only if you specifically need lossless quality or transparency support, which is unusual for phone photos. A high-quality JPG at 85–90% quality is visually indistinguishable from the original HEIC for photographs.