What HEIC Is, and When to Convert It

Why iPhones use HEIC

JPEG dates to the early 1990s and remains widely supported. Newer compression methods can store a similar-looking photograph with fewer bytes, which matters for camera libraries and backups.

Apple introduced HEIF support with iOS 11 in 2017. HEIC combines two things: the HEIF image container, standardized as ISO/IEC 23008-12, and HEVC image compression, also called H.265. HEIF can hold one image or several, along with items such as depth maps, thumbnails and editing data. HEVC is also used for 4K video; it can encode individual still images as well as video frames.

At comparable visual quality, a HEIC can be much smaller than a JPEG; the saving depends on the image and the encoder settings. The format can also carry ten-bit colour, transparency and several images in one file. A given photo carries only the features its camera or app wrote.

Why support varies between applications

To open a HEIC, software has to read both the container and the compressed image data inside it. HEVC patent licensing is one reason some platforms ship without a decoder; operating-system support, application choices and the features a file uses also play a part. Changing the filename extension does not add a decoder.

Apple built HEIF support into iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra and later, although individual apps and older devices can still lack some HEIC features. Some Windows installations need additional HEIF or HEVC components. Browser and Android support depends on the platform and version. An editor, printer or upload form may accept only a short list of image formats.

When a photo will not open, check which formats the receiving application supports. A HEIC can open in one app and fail in another on the same device. An unsupported feature, a damaged file or a resource limit can also cause the failure, and the extension alone does not tell you which.

When to keep HEIC, use JPG or use PNG

Keep HEIC when your own tools support it. If your library apps can read the photos and your backups preserve them, there is no need to convert the whole collection to share a few images. Keep the original and make a compatible copy when you need one.

Use JPG when the recipient requires it. Upload forms, email clients, print services and photo software commonly accept JPG, though each service can set its own size, colour or resolution requirements. The HEIC to JPG converter makes that copy in your browser.

Use PNG when preserving decoded pixels or transparency matters. It can suit diagrams, text, artwork or an intermediate image you intend to edit. For an ordinary camera photo, PNG can be several times larger than a high-quality JPG. PNG avoids a second lossy encoding step. It cannot bring back detail the HEIC encoding already discarded, and whether bit depth, colour profile and other metadata carry over depends on the converter.

What to check in the converted file

The file can get larger. HEIC compresses more efficiently than JPG, so a JPG copy often trades file size for compatibility. There is no fixed ratio: the image, the quality setting and the output dimensions all change the result, and the copy is not always larger. Compare the two files.

JPG adds a lossy encoding step. A high quality setting can make the change hard to see, though it can still be visible. Avoid editing and re-saving the same JPG again and again; make each new export from the original when you can.

Check bit depth, HDR and colour. The HEIC tools here produce eight-bit output, so ten-bit and HDR detail is reduced. HEIC to JPG and HEIC to PNG do not carry over an embedded colour profile: a wide-gamut (Display P3) photo is written as sRGB with its colour values unconverted. HEIC to PDF carries an embedded profile across. Keep the original if those properties matter, and compare the converted colours with it.

Check which images were exported. A HEIF file can hold several images, and a converter that exports only the first leaves the rest out. A Live Photo also includes video resources, and converting the still image does not keep its motion and sound.

These canvas-based conversions remove the original EXIF block. Coordinates, camera details and the capture timestamp are not copied into the new image, though the encoder can write its own format metadata. Note the capture date first, or keep the original if you need it.

Saving a JPG as HEIC cannot recover discarded detail. The losses from the earlier JPG encoding remain, so a conversion back to HEIC restores nothing. Keep the original HEIC when you have it.

Capture and transfer settings

If HEIC fits your library and backup workflow, keep it for storage and convert the copies that need another format. If most of your receiving tools need JPG, a compatible capture setting may be more convenient.

On supported iPhones, Settings, Camera, Formats offers Most Compatible, which saves new photos as JPG. Photos already taken stay as they are. For cable transfers, the Photos setting Transfer to Mac or PC offers Automatic, which converts photos to compatible formats, and Keep Originals, which sends them unconverted. Apple’s current instructions place Photos settings under Settings, Apps, Photos; the path can differ on older iOS versions.

For a HEIC already on your computer, export a compatible copy from an app that supports it or use a local converter. Open the result and check its orientation, colours and image count before sending it. Conversion time depends on the file and device.