Convert HEIC to AVIF
Convert HEIC to AVIF by dropping the photo into the converter; the target is already set, so press Convert and download the .avif. All encoding runs locally in your browser through WebAssembly, with no server contact for the image.
Drop your HEIC here
It becomes a AVIF right in your browser, up to 100 MB
Your file never leaves your device
Why convert HEIC to AVIF?
These are the two most efficient mainstream photo formats, and the trade is about openness and the web. HEIC leans on patent-encumbered HEVC and is effectively an Apple-ecosystem format that browsers refuse to display; AVIF achieves comparable compression on the royalty-free AV1 codec and renders natively in Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Converting keeps your photos in the tiny-file class while making them publishable and future-friendly. It suits developers building modern image pipelines from iPhone sources, and anyone deliberately moving a library toward open formats.
What is HEIC?
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the HEIF container holding HEVC-compressed images, and it has been the default camera format on iPhone since iOS 11 in 2017. It stores photos at roughly half the size of an equivalent JPG and can carry bursts, depth maps and Live Photo stills. Outside the Apple ecosystem support is poor: Windows often demands a paid codec extension and no browser will display a .heic file.
What is AVIF?
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is the newest mainstream image format, published by the Alliance for Open Media in 2019 on top of the royalty-free AV1 codec. It delivers the strongest compression of any widely deployed format, especially at low and medium quality, and adds an alpha channel, HDR and 10/12-bit color. Browser support landed in Chrome 85, Firefox 93 and Safari 16, but much desktop software still cannot open an .avif file.
Quality and what to expect
A lossy-to-lossy transcode between two strong codecs: degradation at default quality is minimal, but it is nonzero, so keep originals for archival. File sizes generally land within shouting distance of the source HEIC, since the codecs are of the same generation. Encoding takes seconds rather than instants; AV1 is computationally demanding, and large multi-megapixel photos make that visible. Upright orientation is baked in during decode. EXIF metadata, GPS included, is dropped from the output, and Live Photo motion does not carry over.
HEIC to AVIF FAQ
HEIC and AVIF are both tiny. Why bother converting?
Reach and licensing. AVIF displays in every modern browser and builds on a royalty-free codec; HEIC does neither. If a photo is headed for the web or for long-term storage in open formats, AVIF is the same efficiency without the lock-in.
Which produces smaller files, HEIC or AVIF?
They trade blows depending on content and settings; neither wins universally. Expect the AVIF output here to be in the same general size range as the HEIC source rather than dramatically smaller or larger.
Why is this conversion slower than HEIC to JPG?
The decode side is identical, but AV1 encoding works much harder than JPEG encoding does, which is precisely how it earns its compression. The job runs in a background worker, so the tab stays usable meanwhile.
Can I view the resulting AVIF on my own computer?
In any modern browser, yes; in desktop image viewers, it depends on their age. If your tools cannot open AVIF yet, the HEIC to JPG or HEIC to PNG pairs are the compatibility-first alternatives.