What is HEIC?

A container plus a video codec

Technically, HEIC is the HEIF container (an MPEG standard from 2015) holding images compressed with HEVC, the same codec used for 4K video. Compressing a still photo with video-grade technology is what produces the dramatic space savings over the 1992-era JPEG codec. The container is also more capable than a JPG file: one .heic can hold photo bursts, depth maps for portrait mode, and the still half of a Live Photo.

Why everything else struggles to open it

HEVC is heavily patent-encumbered, so supporting HEIC means paying licensing fees or shipping nothing. That is why no web browser renders .heic files, why Windows points you at a paid codec extension in the Microsoft Store, why Android support varies by device, and why countless upload forms simply reject the format. Apple absorbs the licensing inside its ecosystem, where everything works seamlessly; one step outside it and the photo becomes a compatibility problem. (This is also why hushvert decodes HEIC in your browser with the open-source libheif rather than on any server.)

Your options when a HEIC will not open

Three sane paths. One: convert the file to a universal format, which is what this site does locally in your browser, with no upload. Two: stop the problem at the source by setting the iPhone camera to shoot JPG (Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible), trading storage space for compatibility. Three: let Apple convert on the way out; sharing by Mail, and many messenger apps, silently delivers JPG. For files you already have on a non-Apple machine, conversion is usually the only practical option.

Convert a HEIC right now

• HEIC to JPG
• HEIC to PNG
• HEIC to WebP
• HEIC to AVIF

Worried about uploading personal photos to converter sites? Read how to convert iPhone photos without uploading them.