Inspect
HEIC File Checker
What is this file? Get its real format, size, dimensions and colour in one plain-English sentence, plus whether the size is normal and where it opens.
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
- Answers
- What is this file, and will it open where I need it?
- You get
- One plain-English sentence, a size check and a compatibility table
- Decodes pixels
- No, it reads the container only
- Output
- On screen, plus a Copy as text summary
What this tool does
Drop in a file and the first thing you see is a single sentence about it, such as "A 1008×756 (0.76 MP) HEIC photo, 499.2 KB, 8-bit colour in Display P3, taken with Apple iPhone 15 Pro." It is built from the file's own bytes, not from its name, so it holds up when a file has been renamed, forwarded through a chat app or downloaded from somewhere you do not trust. If the extension says one thing and the contents say another, a red line under the sentence says so. If the file is not a HEIC, HEIF or AVIF at all, you get a plain statement of what it really is instead of an error.
Under the sentence are tiles for format and compression, dimensions, megapixels, file size, colour depth, colour space, number of images inside and which extra data is present (Exif, XMP, ICC, and whether a GPS location is among it). Two sections go further than a spec sheet. "Is the file size normal?" divides the size of the main image data by its pixel count and shows the result in bits per pixel against a rule of thumb for HEVC camera photos: under 0.3 is very compressed, 0.3 to 3 is typical, 3 to 8 is lightly compressed and above 8 is unusually large. It also splits the file into the main picture and everything else, which is a quick way to see whether a large file is large because of the photo or because of what is packed around it.
"Where will this file open?" is a short compatibility table. Every row comes from a source that can be checked (caniuse.com browser data and the Apple, Microsoft and Google support pages), and anything we could not verify is left out rather than guessed. Windows is hedged on purpose, because whether a PC can open HEVC-coded HEIC depends on its build and on Store extensions. This page stays deliberately light. When you need individual tags or the codec profile, move to the metadata viewer or the HEIC Inspector.
How to use it
- 01
Choose the file
Drop one HEIC or HEIF file on the page or pick it from your device. A file that is really a JPEG, PNG or something else is identified and named, not rejected with a generic error.
- 02
Read the In plain English sentence
It gives the real format, pixel size, file size, bit depth, colour space and, if the Exif block names a camera, the device. A red line appears under it when the file name's extension does not match the contents.
- 03
Scan the tiles
Dimensions are the stored pixel size before any rotation is applied. "Extra data" lists Exif, XMP and ICC when present and says whether a GPS location is included.
- 04
Check the size and compatibility sections
The gauge places your file's bits per pixel on the 0.3 to 3 band that most camera HEIC photos fall in. The table shows which platforms and apps open this kind of file and which need extra software.
- 05
Copy or follow up
Copy as text puts the summary on your clipboard for a support request or a note. Convert to JPG and Check it is not damaged jump to the next likely step.
When to use it
Someone says your photo will not open
Run the file here and read the compatibility table. If the recipient is on Windows or an older Android, the likely cause is missing HEIC support on their side, and a JPG copy solves it without touching the original.
A form rejects the upload
Megapixels and file size are the two numbers most upload limits care about. They are on screen together, along with the real format, in case the site is rejecting the file's contents rather than its name.
Telling a camera original from a recompressed copy
Run both copies of a photo and compare bits per pixel. A large drop means the second was recompressed, which some messaging apps and cloud uploads do, and it explains a loss of fine detail.
A quick look before you share
The "Extra data" tile tells you in two seconds whether a GPS location is present. If it is, open the EXIF & GPS viewer to see exactly what it reveals.
Good to know
- 01No pixels are decoded here. Dimensions come from the container header, so a file can report a perfect size and still fail to open. To test that, use the Health Check.
- 02The size check is a rule of thumb for HEVC camera photos, not a quality verdict. Very noisy or very detailed images legitimately use more bits per pixel, and screenshots or graphics can sit outside the band and be fine.
- 03The compatibility table lists only what we could verify. An app that is missing from it, such as a particular editor or a messaging service, has not been tested here, which is different from not working.
- 04Dimensions are before rotation. A portrait phone photo is often stored landscape with an orientation flag, so the numbers can look the wrong way round. Rotate HEIC can change that flag without re-encoding the photo.
- 05The colour space name comes from the file's colour box or its ICC profile description. If the file declares neither, the tile says "Not declared" and nothing is guessed.
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
Last updated: . Something wrong or out of date? Tell us — corrections are recorded in the changelog.