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Extract HEIC Thumbnail

Recover the small preview stored inside a HEIC or HEIF file as a PNG, without decoding the full-resolution photo.

Input

Drop HEIC or HEIF files here

or choose them from your device

HEIC or HEIF · up to 100 MB per file · processed on your device

At a glance

Input
HEIC or HEIF files (not AVIF)
Output
PNG at the thumbnail's own size
Returns
The first thumbnail in each file
Batch
Per-file results, ZIP download

What this tool does

A HEIC can hold a small preview image beside the full photo, and this tool saves that preview as a PNG. It does not decode the full picture, so it is quick even on large files, and it returns the thumbnail at the size it was stored: in my test files, 320 by 240 and 256 by 188 pixels. It never enlarges the thumbnail to look like the photo. If you want the photo itself, use HEIC to PNG or HEIC to JPG.

Many files have no thumbnail at all. Photos converted or exported by other software often drop it, and the tool says so plainly: "No embedded thumbnail" in the failed list, with the filename. In a batch, each file is handled alone, so a missing thumbnail, a damaged file or a file in the wrong format shows up as one line while the rest finish. In a six-file test, two returned thumbnails and four failed: two with no thumbnail, one AVIF (unsupported here) and one truncated HEIC.

When a file holds several thumbnails, you get the first one it lists, not necessarily the largest. A test file stored with 256 and 128 pixel thumbnails returned the 256 pixel one. An earlier bug read the wrong IDs for such files, and it is fixed. To see how many thumbnails a file holds and where they sit in the container, use the HEIC inspector. Thumbnails exist because decoding a full HEVC photo is slow: the camera writes a small, complete image beside it so galleries and file pickers can fill a grid instantly. They are optional, so files that have been through converters or editors often have none, and that is a normal result rather than an error.

How to use it

  1. 01

    Add HEIC or HEIF files

    Drop one or many. The list shows each name and size before you start.

  2. 02

    Press Extract thumbnails

    Each file is read and its thumbnail decoded in a background worker. No full-size decode is done.

  3. 03

    Read the results

    Each success shows the PNG's filename, source size, PNG size and pixel dimensions. Files that failed are listed under "could not be processed" with a reason.

  4. 04

    Download

    Save a single PNG from its row, or take all of them as heic-thumbnails.zip. Each file is named after its source with a -thumbnail suffix.

  5. 05

    Fall back to a full conversion if needed

    If a file reports no thumbnail, convert it instead; that always uses the full photo.

When to use it

A quick look at a slow or heavy file

A 12 MP HEIC can take seconds to decode in full. Its thumbnail gives a recognisable view almost instantly, which is enough to tell which photo is which.

Gallery and list previews

Extracting the stored thumbnail for each photo in a folder gives small images for a page or index without a full decode of every file.

Checking whether a file has a thumbnail

If you build or test an app that reads HEIC thumbnails, this shows which of your files have one and what size.

Recovering a preview from a damaged file

A file whose main image will not decode may still have a readable thumbnail, so it is worth one try before the repair tool. If the container itself cannot be read it fails too, as a truncated file did in my test.

Good to know

  • 01You get a thumbnail, not the photo. It is small, and at 256 or 320 pixels it is not suitable for printing or editing.
  • 02Not every file has one. Converted, edited or screenshot-derived HEICs often lack it, and those files are listed as having no embedded thumbnail.
  • 03Only the first thumbnail of each file is returned, even when more are stored. The inspector shows the full list, and Extract Images from HEIC saves every thumbnail, along with the depth maps and extra frames.
  • 04HEIC and HEIF only. An AVIF file is reported as an unsupported format in this tool, though the viewer can open AVIF in browsers that decode it.
  • 05The PNG is lossless, so thumbnails are not made worse, but the output is larger than the stored thumbnail. In my test a 320 by 240 thumbnail became a 152 KB PNG.

Technical notes

Privacy and limits

Your file stays on your device

This tool runs in your browser with WebAssembly. The file is read into the tab, processed there and discarded when you close it — there is no upload and no account. You can check this yourself in your browser's network panel, and the privacy page lists what analytics does and does not receive.

Limits and checks

Up to 100 MB and 100 megapixels per file; batches of up to 50 files and 500 MB. Files are treated as untrusted input and every output is re-opened and validated before it is offered — see how we handle untrusted files.

Frequently asked questions

Related tools and reading

Extract Images from HEICSave every image in the file: frames, depth maps, masks and thumbnails.HEIC InspectorSee how many thumbnails a file holds and where they sit in the container.HEIC File CheckerDimensions, codec and colour information for a file.HEIC to PNGDecode the full photo to a lossless PNG instead.HEIC Collage & Contact SheetBuild a grid from the full photos rather than their stored thumbnails.

Further reading

Last updated: . Something wrong or out of date? Tell us — corrections are recorded in the changelog.