What is a .heic file?
High Efficiency Image Container · Image · MPEG / Apple · 2015
HEIC is the format the iPhone uses for photos by default. It stores the same picture as a JPEG at roughly half the file size, using the modern HEVC codec, which is why an iPhone photo can look sharp yet stay small.
What is a .heic file used for?
HEIC is Apple's name for a HEIF image that holds one or more pictures compressed with HEVC (H.265). Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos this way to save storage, so a typical HEIC is about half the size of the same shot as a JPEG at similar quality.
The trade off is support. Windows needs an extension from the Microsoft Store to view HEIC, and many websites and older apps do not accept it at all. That is the number one reason people convert HEIC to JPG.
A single HEIC file can also carry Live Photo frames, depth maps, bursts and image edits, which a flat JPEG cannot.
How to open a .heic file
The .heic format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to open a .heic file.
Windows
- Photos (with the free HEIF extension)
- Windows 11 Photos
- IrfanView + plugin
macOS
- Preview
- Photos
- Quick Look
Linux
- GIMP (with libheif)
- gThumb
- ImageMagick
Web
- Convert to JPG or PNG first for guaranteed browser support
How to convert a .heic file
You can convert a .heic file to JPG, PNG, WebP using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
Convert images free: ImageConvert
.heic file signature (magic bytes)
Programs recognise a .heic file by the bytes at the start of the file, not by its name. These are the signatures for HEIC. For a full breakdown, see the HEIC file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 00 00 00 18 66 74 79 70 68 65 69 63 | 0 | ftyp heic |
| 66 74 79 70 68 65 69 | 4 | ftyp box, brand starts with 'hei' |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .heic file?
HEIC is the format the iPhone uses for photos by default. It stores the same picture as a JPEG at roughly half the file size, using the modern HEVC codec, which is why an iPhone photo can look sharp yet stay small.
Why can't I open a HEIC file on Windows?
Windows does not ship the HEVC decoder by default. Install the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, or convert the file to JPG.
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
There is a small quality loss because JPEG re-compresses the image, but at high quality settings the difference is hard to see. The file will usually be larger than the HEIC.
How do I stop my iPhone saving HEIC?
In Settings, Camera, Formats, choose Most Compatible. New photos will be saved as JPEG instead of HEIC.