HEIC in Google Photos, Drive, Docs and Messages

Does Google Photos support HEIC?

Yes. Google's backup requirements (opens in a new tab) list the photo types that can be backed up as .jpg, .heic, .heif, .png, .webp, .gif, .avif and most RAW files. Photos can be up to 200 MB or 200 MP, and items must be larger than 256 x 256. The same page lists Live Photos as a supported format "when you use the Google Photos app on your iPhone or iPad". Files of a type not on the list "may not work with Google Photos".

Two details from the computer version of the backup page (opens in a new tab) matter to Mac users. Back up folders on the web does not support the Apple Photos Library; Google points you to the Google Photos app on an iPhone or iPad instead. And "Google Drive for desktop ends support for Google Photos backup on August 10, 2026", so folder backup from a computer now goes through the browser, or through Drive and then Add > Google Drive.

Whatever the route, the photo is HEIC to begin with because of the camera, not because of Google. An iPhone saves HEIC when Settings > Camera > Formats is High Efficiency, as HEIC on iPhone explains. On Android it depends on the maker; HEIC on Android covers that.

What do Original quality and Storage saver do to a HEIC?

This is the setting that decides whether your HEIC stays a HEIC. Google's backup quality page (opens in a new tab) describes three levels. It never mentions HEIC by name, so the table quotes what it says about photos in general.

To change it in the app: Profile picture or initial > Google Photos settings > Backup > Photos & videos quality, then pick one. On a computer, go to photos.google.com/settings. Google notes that the setting is per device: changing it on one phone does not change another. To see what a photo was stored as, open it and swipe up in the app, or click Info on the web, and look under Details for the backup size and quality.

Why does Google Photos download as HEIC?

Because Google Photos stored the HEIC you uploaded, and Google does not say it converts photos on the way out. Google's download page (opens in a new tab) gives the steps (on photos.google.com, select a photo, then More > Download; in the app, select it, then More > Download) and says nothing about the file format. The only conversion Google describes is at upload time, under Storage saver. So if you back up in Original quality, a download that arrives as .heic is consistent with everything Google documents, even though Google never promises it.

Two app-specific limits from the same page: on Android the Download option "won't appear" if the photo is already on the device, and on an iPhone or iPad you "can't download" a photo that already exists in your camera roll. In that case the photo is already on the phone, in whatever format the camera saved.

For developers, Google's Photos API documentation is a little more specific but still not about format: adding =d to an item's base URL downloads the image "retaining all the Exif metadata except the location metadata" (Access media items (opens in a new tab)). That applies to apps using the API, not to the Download button, and it says nothing about whether the bytes are HEIC or JPEG.

Why is my Google Photos download not HEIC?

• It was backed up in Storage saver or Express. Google says Storage saver photos "may be compressed into a different image format, like a .jpg". Copies added from Google Drive follow the same backup quality.
• It came over from iCloud Photos. Apple says the transfer uses the original format "or" industry-standard formats, and Apple's list of formats does not include .heic.
• It was never HEIC. An iPhone set to Most Compatible, and many Android phones, save JPEG to begin with.
• Several photos downloaded as one ZIP. Google does not document what a multi-photo download contains. One user report from 2021 (opens in a new tab) describes a ZIP with some iPhone photos as JPG and some still HEIC. That is a single community report, not Google's documentation.

How do I get JPGs out of Google Photos?

Google Photos has no documented "download as JPG" option. The dependable route is to download whatever Google gives you and convert any .heic yourself. Converting in the browser with our tools keeps the photos on your device: the file is decoded by WebAssembly inside the page and nothing is uploaded, which matters if these are private photos you are moving between services.

1. 01

   Download the photos

   On a computer, go to photos.google.com, select a photo, then More > Download. For a whole library, use Takeout (next section).

2. 02

   Look at the extension

   If it ends in .jpg, you are done. If it is .heic or .heif and the place you are sending it rejects it, carry on. If you got a .zip, extract it first.

3. 03

   Convert on your device

   Open HEIC to JPG for a few files, or the batch converter for a folder: drop the folder in a desktop browser and it picks up every .heic and .heif, subfolders included, up to 50 files or 500 MB a run, and returns one ZIP.

4. 04

   Keep the originals

   Our converters do not write EXIF, GPS or XMP into the JPG, so the capture date and location are not in the copy. That is useful before sharing, but keep the HEICs if you want that information.

Does Google Takeout keep HEIC photos as HEIC?

Google does not say. Its Takeout help page (opens in a new tab) describes the export but not the format of the photos in it. What it does say: the photo or video metadata "still has the original timestamp preserved in the metadata embedded within the files", and any extra metadata that is not from the original file, such as comments in Google Photos, is downloaded "to a secondary JSON file". The only product whose download format the page states is YouTube.

• Choose Google Photos (you can untick everything else) and select Next step.
• Pick a delivery method: an email link, or add the archive to Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box. Adding to Drive counts toward your storage.
• Pick zip or tgz and a maximum archive size; anything larger is split into several archives.
• Archives expire after about 7 days and each can be downloaded 5 times.
• With Google Photos as the only product selected, you can schedule exports every 2 months for a year.

Once it is unzipped, any .heic in the export can go through the batch converter 50 files at a time. Google recommends downloading and viewing Takeout exports on a desktop computer, not a phone.

How do I stop HEIC uploading to Google Photos from an iPhone?

Change the camera, not Google Photos. Google Photos backs up what the iPhone saved; it has no documented setting to convert HEIC to JPG on upload, and Storage saver only "may" change the format while also reducing quality. Apple's HEIF and HEVC page (opens in a new tab) gives the switch: Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible, after which "all new photos and videos will now use JPEG or H.264 format."

Apple also says that sharing by AirDrop, Messages or email might convert automatically when the receiving device cannot read HEIC, which helps for one-off sends but does not affect Google Photos backup. The trade-offs of the camera switch are covered in HEIC on iPhone.

Can Google Drive store and preview HEIC files?

Drive stores them: "Any file type can be stored in Drive", up to 5 TB for files that are not Google Docs, Sheets or Slides (Files you can store in Google Drive (opens in a new tab)). Preview is another matter. The same page lists the most common image files Drive can preview as .JPEG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP, .TIFF and .SVG. HEIC is not on that list. Google does not say Drive cannot preview a HEIC; it just does not list it, and we have not tested it. If a HEIC in Drive shows no preview, the file itself is still intact.

Uploading does not change the file either: Google's upload page (opens in a new tab) describes conversion only for documents such as Word files, through the "Convert uploads to Google Docs editor format" setting. Downloading is likewise plain: the option to save in another format, including .jpg, is described for files opened in Docs, Sheets, Slides or Vids, not for photos (Download a file (opens in a new tab)).

To view a HEIC from Drive without converting it, download it and open it in the HEIC viewer, which decodes it in your browser. To move HEICs from Drive into Google Photos, use photos.google.com > Add > Google Drive: Google lists .heic as accepted there, but the copy is stored at your backup quality and counts against your storage a second time (Add photos & videos from Google Drive (opens in a new tab)).

How do I convert a folder of HEIC files from Google Drive?

Drive has no documented way to convert photos in place, so bring the folder to your computer, convert it there and put the JPGs back. Nothing has to be uploaded to a conversion service along the way.

1. 01

   Get the folder onto your computer

   On drive.google.com, click a file, Ctrl-click (Command-click on a Mac) the others, then right-click > Download. If Drive for desktop is installed, the files are already in its "Google Drive" folder on your computer. If the download is a .zip, extract it.

2. 02

   Drop the folder on the batch converter

   Open the batch converter in a desktop browser and drag the whole folder onto it. It collects every .heic and .heif, including subfolders. Choose JPG, PNG or WebP.

3. 03

   Run it in batches of 50

   A run takes up to 50 files or 500 MB. For 200 photos, run four batches. A damaged file is listed in a CSV error report and the rest still convert.

4. 04

   Upload the JPGs back if you want them in Drive

   Unzip the result and use New > Folder upload on drive.google.com, or drag the folder into the Drive for desktop folder.

Why won't Google Docs insert a HEIC image?

Because Google's image tools take PNG, JPEG or GIF. The Docs and Slides help page (opens in a new tab) lists where an image can come from (Upload from computer, Stock & web, Drive & Photos, Camera, By URL) but not which formats are accepted. The formats are stated elsewhere: the Docs API reference says inserted images "must be less than 50MB, cannot exceed 25 megapixels, and must be in PNG, JPEG, or GIF format" (Docs API (opens in a new tab)); the Slides API guide repeats the same three limits (Add images to a slide (opens in a new tab)); and the Sheets help says you can add "images under 50 MB in .png, .jpg, or .gif format" (Add an image to a spreadsheet (opens in a new tab)).

The API limits are for programs, but they are the clearest statement Google publishes, and HEIC is not in any of them. Convert the photo to JPG (or PNG if it has transparency or text) with HEIC to JPG, then use Insert > Image > Upload from computer. If the photo is over 25 megapixels, resize it too. Google does not say what happens if you pick a HEIC through Insert > Image > Drive & Photos; we have not tested it.

Does Google Messages support HEIC?

Google does not say. Its help page on sending photos (opens in a new tab) describes choosing photos from the Gallery and a media quality choice: HD, "Optimized for chat", which "sends quality media faster, uses less data", and HD+, "Original quality", which "sends at full media resolution". Your choice is remembered for later messages. Google adds that images are clearest over RCS, because "carriers compress MMS messages". No image format is named anywhere on the page, so whether a HEIC is sent as HEIC, converted, or converted on the receiving phone is not documented.

Between Android and iPhone, Google's RCS FAQ (opens in a new tab) says RCS chats let you "send high-resolution photos and videos", where the iPhone user's carrier supports RCS. When RCS is not available, messages fall back to SMS and MMS. On the iPhone side, Apple says Messages might send a photo "in a more compatible format, such as JPEG" if the receiving device does not support HEIF (Apple (opens in a new tab)); Apple does not say how it decides that for an Android phone.

Can you send HEIC in Gmail or Google Chat?

Gmail attaches files up to 25 MB for personal accounts and blocks executable files such as .exe; over that, Gmail removes the attachment and adds it as a Google Drive link (Send attachments with your Gmail message (opens in a new tab)). HEIC is not mentioned, and Google does not document whether Gmail previews a HEIC attachment. Whether the recipient can open it depends on their device and software, so send a JPG if you are not sure.

Google Chat is explicit: its file help page (opens in a new tab) lists supported image files as BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WBMP and HEIC, with attachments up to 200 MB. It is the only Google help page we found that names HEIC as a supported image type outside Google Photos.

What to do, by situation

What Google does not document

• The file format of a Google Photos download, single or several at once, from the web or the apps.
• The file format of Google Photos items in a Takeout export.
• Exactly when Storage saver turns a HEIC into a JPG; Google says only that photos "may" change format.
• Whether Google Drive previews HEIC files; it is simply not in the list of common previewable images.
• What Docs or Slides do with a HEIC chosen through Insert > Image > Drive & Photos.
• Whether Google Messages sends, receives or converts HEIC, under HD or HD+.
• Whether Gmail previews HEIC attachments.
• What the iCloud-to-Google Photos transfer does with HEIC: Apple's format list omits it and says photos arrive in the original format or an industry-standard one.