What is HEIC? Why iPhone photos won't open on your PC, and how to convert them to JPG

You copy photos from your iPhone to a computer and find .heic files that won't open, or a job-application site refuses your upload. It happens all the time. Here's what HEIC is, why some places can't open it, and the easy ways around it.

In short

• HEIC is the space-saving photo format iPhones use, supported since iOS 11 on iPhone 7 and later.
• Files are smaller than a JPG of similar quality — Apple's WebKit team says about half the space.
• But Windows and some websites can't open it without extra software.
• The fixes: shoot in JPG, let the iPhone convert when you share, or convert HEIC to JPG in your browser.

What HEIC is

HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) is the international standard ISO/IEC 23008-12 from MPEG, the group behind the MP4 video standards.

Microsoft describes HEIF as a container that can hold images compressed in different ways. When they're compressed with HEVC (H.265), the file usually has the .heic extension — that's what iPhones produce.

Apple added HEIF for photos and HEVC for video in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, on iPhone 7 or later. Apple says they compress better than JPEG and H.264, so they use less storage on your devices and in iCloud Photos while keeping the same visual quality.

Why some places can't open it

HEIC relies on much newer compression than JPG, so plenty of programs and websites don't support it yet.

• Windows: Microsoft says you need HEIF Image Extensions (free) and HEVC Video Extensions (a small fee) from the Microsoft Store — both of them, even if you only view photos.
• Browsers: Safari supports HEIC since version 17; other browsers may not show it.
• Upload forms and government systems: many accept only JPG, PNG or PDF.

Fix 1: make the iPhone shoot JPG

Apple's instructions: open Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. The camera then records photos as JPEG and videos as H.264.

The downside is bigger files that use more space. To return to the space-saving formats, choose High Efficiency.

Fix 2: let the iPhone convert when you share

Apple says that when you share through AirDrop, Messages or email to a device that doesn't support HEIF, the photo may automatically be sent in a more compatible format such as JPEG.

Photos imported to a computer over USB may be converted to JPEG too. To stop that, go to Settings > Apps > Photos and choose Keep Originals. iCloud Photos always keeps the original format.

Fix 3: convert HEIC to JPG in your browser, without uploading

If you already have .heic files, use HEIC to JPG:

1. Choose or drop your HEIC photos — many at once is fine.
2. Pick the format you need, such as JPG or PNG.
3. Convert and download.

Your photos are never uploaded; everything happens in your browser. Safari uses the device's own HEIC reader, and other browsers use a reader served from our own site.

If a photo is still too large for the site you're uploading to, compress it. To put several photos in one file, use images to PDF.

Does converting lower the quality?

JPG saves space by discarding detail that's hard to see, so converting HEIC to JPG compresses the photo once more.

• Use a high quality setting and the difference is very hard to spot.
• Keep the original HEIC and use the JPG only for sending or uploading.
• If you need no loss at all, choose PNG — but expect much larger files.

Note

This article is based on help pages from Apple, Microsoft and MPEG and the WebKit blog, read on 28 September 2026. Menu names and extension prices can differ by version and country.