If you’ve copied photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC, or tried to upload one to a government site, you’ve probably met the .heic file.
Image: Animdock Stock — free to download.
What HEIC is
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the format iPhones use by default since iOS 11. It stores photos using HEVC video compression, so a picture takes roughly half the space of a JPG at the same quality — and it can also hold Live Photos, depth data and 10-bit colour.
Why it causes problems
Support is patchy. Windows needs an extra codec, many web upload forms only accept JPG or PNG, and older editors and printers don’t recognise the format at all.
Three ways around it
- Convert the files you need — the HEIC to JPG converter turns a whole export into JPGs in your browser, privately, with nothing uploaded.
- Share from the iPhone — the Photos app converts to JPG when you share to many apps.
- Change the camera setting — Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes the iPhone shoot JPG from now on (bigger files).
Image: Animdock Stock — free to download.
Should you convert everything?
No — HEIC is a good archive format. Keep the originals and convert copies when a site or person needs JPG. Family photos are exactly the kind of files you don’t want to upload to a random converter, which is why ours runs entirely on your device.