HEIC file

What it is

HEIF is a container, and HEIC is its most common variant: a HEIF file whose images are coded with HEVC. Microsoft's documentation notes that HEIF files compressed with HEVC typically use the .heic extension. Other codecs can be stored in the same container, which is how AVIF works (AV1 images in HEIF).

Property	HEIC
Image type	Raster
Compression	Lossy HEVC; Apple quotes about half the size of a JPEG of the same visual quality
Colour depth	8, 10 or 12 bits per channel; wide colour gamut and HDR
Transparency	Yes, as an auxiliary alpha image
Depth map	Yes, as an auxiliary image (used by iPhone Portrait mode)
Multiple images	Image sequences, bursts, and grids of tiles that form one large image
HDR gain map	In photos from recent iPhones
Metadata	Exif, XMP and MPEG-7; IPTC is not defined

Most people meet HEIC files in two ways: photos copied from an iPhone or iPad to a computer that cannot display them, and photos uploaded to a website or shared folder that expects JPEG. On macOS Tahoe 26, screenshots taken with the HDR capture format are also saved as HEIF.

Sources: ISO/IEC 23008-12:2025; MPEG-H Part 12; Nokia HEIF technical information; Apple, Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices and WWDC17 session 513, High Efficiency Image File Format; Microsoft, HEIF codec; libvips, heifsave. Read 27 October 2026.

Which apps open it

Platform or app	Opens HEIC	Notes
iPhone and iPad	Yes, from iOS 11	Default capture format on iPhone 7 and later. Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible switches new photos to JPEG
Mac	Yes, from macOS High Sierra 10.13	Photos and Preview open, edit and export it
Windows 10 and 11	With two Microsoft Store extensions	The Photos app needs both HEIF Image Extensions (free) and HEVC Video Extensions (paid), even for photos only
Android	Decoding from Android 9	Support is optional per device; encoding through MediaCodec from Android 10
Safari	Yes, from Safari 17 (September 2023)	On iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, Ventura and Monterey
Chrome, Edge, Firefox	No vendor statement of support	Convert to JPEG, WebP or AVIF for the web
Photoshop	Yes, open and save	On Windows, Photoshop needs the same two Microsoft extensions; Canon HIF and HEIC files are not supported
GIMP	Yes, from 2.10.2 (May 2018)	Import and export; 10 and 12 bits from 2.10.22
Affinity Photo 2	Opens only	No HEIC export; an iPhone depth map opens as a second layer
Figma	Yes, as an uploaded image	Images larger than 4,096 pixels are scaled down
Canva	Yes, as an uploaded image	Under 50 MB and 250 million pixels

Microsoft announced on 15 October 2026 that the redesigned Photos app on Windows 11 edits and saves HEIC images in their original format; it was rolling out to Windows Insiders first.

Sources: Apple, Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices, Safari 17 release notes; Microsoft, "Can't view this file type" in Photos, Meet the new Photos app on Windows 11; Android, Supported media formats; GIMP, 2.10.2 and 2.10.22 release notes; Affinity Photo 2 file formats; Figma, Add images and videos to designs; Adobe, Supported file formats in Photoshop (updated 9 June 2026) and Windows HEIF and HEVC codecs (updated 23 February 2026); Canva, Check file upload formats and requirements. Read 27 October 2026.

How to convert it

Route	How	What the conversion loses
Mac, Preview	Open the file, File > Export, Format: JPEG or PNG	To JPEG: transparency, the depth map, 10-bit colour and the HDR gain map
Mac, Photos	File > Export, choose JPEG, TIFF or PNG and a colour profile	As above; "Export Unmodified Original" keeps the HEIC file
iPhone to computer over USB	Connect the phone and import the photos	iOS may convert photos to JPEG on transfer; Settings > Apps > Photos > Keep Originals copies the HEIC files instead
macOS command line	sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg	As Preview
ImageMagick	magick photo.heic photo.jpg (needs the libheif delegate)	As Preview
libvips	vips copy photo.heic photo.jpg[Q=90]	Which metadata is copied is set with the keep option (Exif, XMP, ICC, gain map)
Freedam	Download a WebP rendition, or use a Freedam image URL that delivers AVIF, WebP or JPEG	The rendition is resized and stripped of metadata; the original HEIC stays in the library

JPEG has no transparency and stores 8 bits per channel, so any route to JPEG flattens alpha and reduces 10-bit or HDR photos to standard range. Converting to AVIF keeps transparency and high bit depth, and is supported in current browsers.

Sources: Apple, Convert graphics file types in Preview, Export photos in Photos on Mac, Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices; ImageMagick formats; libvips, command line and ForeignKeep. Read 27 October 2026.

How to convert it with AI

An AI assistant that can run commands on your computer, such as a coding agent in a terminal, can install ImageMagick, an open-source image tool and run the conversion for you. Paste a prompt like this one, change the folder names, and read each command the assistant proposes before you approve it: it runs with your permissions on your files.

Install ImageMagick on this computer, with HEIC support (Homebrew on macOS, apt on Debian or Ubuntu, winget on Windows). Check that `magick -list format` shows HEIC as readable.

Then convert every .heic and .heif file in the folder ~/Pictures/heic to JPEG at quality 90, for example:
magick photo.heic -quality 90 photo.jpg

Write the JPEG files to a new folder ~/Pictures/heic/jpeg, keep the originals unchanged, and keep the Exif data. When you have finished, tell me how many files were converted and list any that failed, with the error.

HEIC in Freedam

Freedam accepts .heic and .heif files in the asset library and stores the original unchanged.

• Preview: Freedam decodes the file with libheif and makes a WebP preview of up to 1,536 pixels on the long side. Display P3 photos keep their colour profile in the preview. An animated HEIC sequence gets no preview: Freedam stores it and serves the original file only.
• Renditions: WebP copies 128, 256, 512 and 1,024 pixels wide are made at upload. Larger sizes, up to 5,120 pixels, are made from the same preview the first time someone asks for one. Images embedded through Freedam image URLs are delivered as AVIF, WebP or JPEG, depending on what the browser accepts.
• Downloads: people with download rights choose between the original HEIC file and a WebP rendition. For a HEIC file the download dialog suggests the 2,048-pixel WebP, or the largest size that is not wider than the original.
• Metadata: on upload Freedam reads the width, height and colour space, the Exif fields (camera make and model, capture date, exposure time, aperture, ISO, focal length, flash, white balance, GPS position) and any Content Credentials. The capture date becomes the asset's capture date. The description, keywords, creator and copyright notice in the file's XMP block fill the asset's own fields.

Frequently asked questions

Why are my iPhone photos saved as HEIC?

HEIC has been the default photo format on most Apple devices since iOS 11, because it stores a photo at about half the size of a JPEG of the same quality. To capture JPEG instead, go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible.

Why won't HEIC files open on Windows?

The Windows Photos app needs two extensions from the Microsoft Store: HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions. Microsoft states that both are needed, even if you only want to view photos.

How do I convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac?

Open the photo in Preview, choose File > Export and set Format to JPEG. In Terminal, sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg does the same.