What Is a HEIC File?
If your iPhone photos won't open on a Windows PC or upload to a website, they're almost certainly HEIC files. Here's what HEIC is, why your iPhone uses it, and how to open or convert it in seconds.
A HEIC file is a photo saved in Apple's High Efficiency Image Container format — it stores the same quality as a JPG at about half the size. iPhones use it by default since iOS 11. To use one on any device, convert it to JPG or PNG.
What HEIC actually is
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's name for a still image stored using the HEIF standard, compressed with the HEVC (H.265) codec. In plain terms: it's a modern container that holds a photo very efficiently.
Try Free Web Tools Mentioned in This Guide
HEIC to JPG
Turn iPhone HEIC photos into universally compatible JPGs.
HEIC to PNG
Convert iPhone HEIC photos to lossless PNG images.
Image Compressor
Shrink JPG, PNG and WebP images without visible quality loss.
HEIC Converter
Convert HEIC images to JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, BMP, GIF or TIFF — pick any format, in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HEIC better than JPG?↓
For storage, yes — HEIC keeps the same visible quality as JPG at roughly half the file size.