What is HEIC, and how do you open it on Windows or the web?

What HEIC is

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) has been the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11, and many Android phones can use it too. It stores images compressed with HEVC, the codec behind H.265 video, and is roughly half the size of a JPEG of similar quality. It can also hold extras such as depth maps, Live Photo stills and HDR information.

Why it does not open everywhere

HEVC is covered by patents that carry licensing costs, so many browsers, Windows installations, websites and upload forms do not include a decoder. Safari on Apple devices opens HEIC natively. Windows usually needs extra extensions from the Microsoft Store, and most web forms reject the file outright.

Converting HEIC to JPG

Conversion runs in your browser. Safari uses its own HEIC decoder; in other browsers a WebAssembly build of libheif is loaded the first time you open a HEIC file.

1. Open HEIC to JPG and drop your photos. A whole batch works.
2. Keep the default quality unless you need smaller files. Compress HEIC converts and compresses in one step.
3. Convert and download the JPGs one by one or as a ZIP.

What is kept and what is not

• The main still image is converted. If a HEIC file holds several images, the primary one is used.
• Depth maps, Live Photo motion and HDR information are not carried into the JPG.
• Metadata such as location, camera model and capture date is not copied into the converted file. That is good for privacy, but photo libraries that sort by capture date will fall back to the file date. Check the original with the Metadata Viewer if you need those details.
• JPG is lossy, so conversion is a new lossy encode. At the default quality the difference is not visible at normal size.
• Aback Images can read HEIC but does not save HEIC files.

Should you stop using HEIC?

Not necessarily. On Apple devices HEIC saves storage with no real downside. If you regularly send photos to Windows users or upload them to websites, an iPhone can capture JPG instead: Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible. Settings, Photos, Transfer to Mac or PC, Automatic converts photos to JPG when you copy them to a computer.