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Understand HEIC before you convert it

HEIC is Apple's photo format, built on the HEIF container and HEVC compression. It produces smaller files than JPG at similar quality, but support is uneven — which is why converters and viewers are still needed.

Format basics

What a HEIC file is, what is inside it and how it differs from the other names you meet.

What is HEIC? What's inside a HEIC file

HEIC is a HEIF image file, usually compressed with HEVC. See how HEIC, HEIF and AVIF differ, and what a real file contains, box by box.

14 min read · Updated

HEIC vs HEIF: what's the difference?

HEIF is the container; HEIC is a HEIF file holding HEVC images. What .heic, .heif, .hif and .avif mean, which devices write which, and when renaming helps.

10 min read · Updated

Live Photos: What They Are and How to Convert

A Live Photo is a still plus a short MOV clip. See what each export, share or convert route keeps, and how to get a JPG, a video or a GIF.

8 min read · Updated

HEIC HDR: 10-bit, gain maps, Ultra HDR and colour

How HDR is stored in HEIC: 10-bit vs 8-bit, PQ and HLG, Apple gain maps, Ultra HDR and Display P3, and what happens to HDR when you convert to JPG.

16 min read · Updated

Can a HEIC file contain a virus? What is verified

A HEIC is an image, not a program, so it cannot run itself. But image decoders have had real, patched bugs. What is verified, and how to stay safe.

19 min read · Updated

HEIC dynamic wallpaper: what it is and how it works

A macOS dynamic wallpaper is a multi-image HEIC whose XMP metadata picks a frame by sun, time or light/dark. What is inside, and how to open and make one.

12 min read · Updated

Comparisons

HEIC against JPG, RAW, AVIF, WebP and JPEG XL, with measurements where we could make them.

HEIC vs JPG: file size and quality, measured

We encoded 25 photos as JPEG, HEIC, WebP and AVIF at matched quality. At JPEG quality 85, HEIC needed 18% fewer bytes: smaller, but not half.

14 min read · Updated

HEIC vs RAW on iPhone: ProRAW, 48 MP, what to use

HEIC is a finished, compressed photo; ProRAW is an editable DNG 10 to 12 times larger. Measured edits, which iPhones offer which, and 48 MP vs 24 MP.

13 min read · Updated

HEIC vs AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG XL, measured

We encoded 25 images five ways at equal quality. JPEG XL made the smallest files, HEIC and AVIF tied, WebP was no smaller than JPEG. Plus support and licences.

14 min read · Updated

HEIC to RAW: why you can't, and what to do instead

You cannot turn a HEIC into real RAW: the sensor data is gone. What DNG and TIFF wrappers do, what our test showed, and how to shoot ProRAW next time.

9 min read · Updated

Phones, computers and cameras

How HEIC behaves on iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux and non-Apple cameras.

Why iPhone photos are HEIC, and how to change it

iPhones save HEIC when Settings > Camera > Formats is High Efficiency. Switch to Most Compatible for JPEG, and see what sharing, USB import and iCloud do.

13 min read · Updated

HEIC on Android: Open, Convert and Share

Android has decoded HEIF since Android 9, but support is optional per device and Chrome for Android does not display HEIC. How to open, convert and share it.

8 min read · Updated

Open HEIC on Windows 10 and 11: what works

Windows needs the HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store to open HEIC. What each costs, what Photos does, and how to get a JPG without installing.

9 min read · Updated

Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac: every built-in way

Convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac with Preview, Photos, Finder Quick Actions, Shortcuts or Terminal. Menu paths, a comparison table and when to use a browser.

9 min read · Updated

HEIC on Linux: open, convert and fix codec errors

Linux reads HEIC through libheif, but its HEVC decoder is a separate package on Ubuntu and Fedora. What we ran with ImageMagick, FFmpeg, Python and exiftool.

12 min read · Updated

HIF files: HEIF from Canon, Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm

A .HIF file is a HEIF photo from a camera, often 10-bit. What Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm and Panasonic say, why they fail to open, and how to convert them.

10 min read · Updated

Apps, browsers and services

Which editors, clouds, websites and browsers take HEIC, and what to do when one does not.

HEIC browser support: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge

Only Safari 17+ displays HEIC natively; Chrome, Edge and Firefox do not. See which browsers support HEIC and how to open or convert it when yours cannot.

7 min read · Updated

HEIC in Google Photos, Drive, Docs and Messages

Google Photos backs up HEIC and Drive stores it, but Docs won't insert it. What Storage saver, downloads, Takeout, Gmail and Messages do, per Google's help.

17 min read · Updated

HEIC in Photoshop, Lightroom and GIMP: what works

Photoshop needs two Microsoft Store codecs on Windows, Lightroom opens HEIC but does not export it, and GIMP depends on its libheif build. App-by-app facts.

12 min read · Updated

HEIC in iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box

What iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box store, preview and convert when you upload HEIC, how to download JPGs, and how to stop HEIC uploading, per their help.

12 min read · Updated

HEIC on your website: WordPress, Shopify, Wix

Only Safari shows HEIC on a web page. What WordPress 6.7 and 7.1, Shopify, Squarespace and Wix do with HEIC uploads, and what to serve instead.

10 min read · Updated

For developers

Libraries, command-line tools and code for reading and writing HEIC.

HEIC for developers: Python, Node, ImageMagick, FFmpeg

Code that reads, converts and batch-processes HEIC in Python, Node, ImageMagick, FFmpeg, Go, Rust, Java, .NET and PHP, run on one machine, with the gotchas.

20 min read · Updated

Need files to test with?

The HEIC sample files are free (CC0) test images for orientation, colour profiles, grids, depth maps, HDR and broken files, each with notes on what a correct result looks like.

Something not working?

If a file will not open, that is usually a compatibility problem rather than a broken file. The troubleshooting guides help you tell the difference.