What is the difference between HEIF and HEIC?

HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) is the container format, while HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's specific implementation using HEVC compression. In practice, they refer to the same thing — .heic files on your iPhone are HEIF images compressed with HEVC.

Why does my iPhone save photos as HEIC instead of JPG?

Apple switched to HEIC as the default in iOS 11 (2017) because HEIC files are about 50% smaller than JPEGs at the same quality. This saves significant storage space on your phone and in iCloud.

Can Windows open HEIC files?

Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC files after installing the free "HEIF Image Extensions" and the paid "HEVC Video Extensions" from the Microsoft Store (or the free version from the device manufacturer).

How do I stop my iPhone from saving as HEIC?

Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and select "Most Compatible." This switches to JPEG capture. Note that this uses roughly twice the storage space per photo.

What Is HEIF/HEIC? Apple's Image Format Explained (and How to Convert)

What Is HEIF/HEIC?

HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) is a modern image format that Apple adopted for iPhones starting with iOS 11 in 2017. When Apple uses HEIF with HEVC compression, the resulting files have the .heic extension.

Why Apple Chose HEIC

The benefits are significant:

50% smaller file sizes compared to JPEG at equivalent quality

Better colour depth — supports 16-bit colour vs JPEG's 8-bit

Live Photos support — stores image and video in one file

Depth information — preserves Portrait Mode depth data

Image sequences — burst photos stored efficiently in one file

Non-destructive editing — edits stored separately from original data

HEIC vs JPEG Comparison

Feature	HEIC	JPEG
Compression	~50% smaller	Baseline
Colour depth	16-bit	8-bit
Transparency	Yes	No
Animation	Yes	No
HDR support	Yes	Limited
Compatibility	Growing	Universal
Editing	Non-destructive	Destructive

Compatibility Challenges

Despite its advantages, HEIC can cause problems:

Social media: Most platforms accept HEIC but may re-encode

Email: Some email clients can't display HEIC inline

Older software: Photoshop versions before CC 2020 don't support HEIC

Web browsers: Chrome and Firefox support HEIC; older browsers may not

Printing services: Many still require JPEG or PNG

How to Convert HEIC to JPG

On iPhone

Go to Settings > Camera > Formats

Select "Most Compatible" to shoot in JPEG

On Mac

Open in Preview > File > Export > choose JPEG

Or use the built-in Quick Actions in Finder

On Windows

Install HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store

Open in Photos app > Save as > JPEG

Online

Use our free File Converter to convert HEIC to JPG, PNG, or WebP instantly in your browser — no upload to external servers required

When to Keep HEIC

Don't convert everything to JPEG blindly. Keep HEIC when:

Storage matters — HEIC saves 50% space

You edit photos — non-destructive editing preserves quality

You have Live Photos — conversion loses the video component

Archival — HEIC preserves more image data than JPEG

When to Convert to JPEG

Convert to JPEG when:

Sharing with non-Apple users — guaranteed compatibility

Uploading to older websites — some CMS platforms don't accept HEIC

Professional printing — many print services require JPEG or TIFF

Email attachments — ensures recipients can view photos

Disclaimer

File format support varies by device and software version. Always verify compatibility with your specific tools and platforms.