How to open and convert HEIC photos on Windows
Image tools · Published
Why iPhone photos arrive as HEIC files, how to view them on Windows, and how to convert them to JPG when an app or website won't accept them.
The short answer
To view HEIC photos on Windows 10 or 11, install Microsoft's HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft says you need both, and the HEVC one has a small price. After that, the Photos app opens HEIC files like any other picture.
To convert HEIC photos to JPG, for a website, an upload form or someone else's computer, you don't need to install anything. Use a converter such as Filecon's HEIC to JPG, download the photos from iCloud.com as JPEG, or change a setting on your iPhone so future transfers arrive as JPG.
Why your iPhone photos are HEIC files
Since iOS 11, iPhones can save photos in the High Efficiency format: HEIF images with the .heic extension. They take less storage than JPG at similar quality, and Apple devices open them without any help. Windows and most browsers other than Safari don't, which is why you see files that won't open, show a blank thumbnail or get rejected by a website.
The setting lives in Settings › Camera › Formats, where High Efficiency means HEIC and Most Compatible means JPG.
Option 1: Open HEIC files in the Windows Photos app
This is the right choice if you just want to look at your photos on the PC and keep them as HEIC.
- Open the Microsoft Store app on your PC.
- Search for HEIF Image Extensions (published by Microsoft) and install it. It's free.
- Search for HEVC Video Extensions (also published by Microsoft) and install it. Microsoft's support page lists it at $0.99; the price in your country may differ.
- Close the Photos app if it's open, then open your HEIC photo again.
Microsoft's own Store listing for the HEIF extension says the HEVC extension must be installed to view .heic files, so the free extension alone usually isn't enough. If Photos shows a message such as "The HEVC Video Extension is required to display this file," that's the missing piece. One or both extensions may already be installed on your PC, so check the Store's library before buying anything.
Option 2: Convert HEIC to JPG in your browser with Filecon
If you need JPG files, for example to upload to a form, attach to an application or send to someone on Windows, Filecon converts them without installing anything. The conversion runs in your browser, so your photos aren't uploaded.
- Open HEIC to JPG in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
- Select Choose files and pick your .heic or .heif photos, or drag them onto the page. You can add up to 50 photos, 20 MB each.
- Leave the JPG quality at 90, or lower it for smaller files, then select Convert to JPG.
- Download each JPG, or select Prepare ZIP of all files to get them together.
What to expect:
- Chrome, Edge and Firefox can't read HEIC themselves, so Filecon loads a decoder that runs on your device. It can take a few seconds per photo. Safari reads HEIC natively.
- Only the main photo is converted. The motion part of a Live Photo and depth information aren't kept.
- The JPG doesn't include the location, date and camera details stored in the HEIC file. That's useful before sharing, but keep the originals if you want that information.
- Very large photos (above about 16.7 megapixels) are scaled down to that size so the browser can handle them, and you'll see a notice when that happens.
Need the photos in a single document instead? Image to PDF accepts HEIC directly.
Option 3: Download JPEG copies from iCloud.com
If your photos are in iCloud Photos, iCloud can hand you JPEGs directly.
- On your PC, go to iCloud.com/photos and sign in with your Apple Account.
- Select the photos. Hold Ctrl to pick several (up to 1,000 at a time).
- Select the More button next to Download to see the download formats, and choose Most Compatible, which Apple describes as JPEG or MP4/H.264.
- Select Download.
Unmodified Originals gives you the files as captured, which for most iPhones means HEIC again.
Option 4: Change your iPhone settings
Get JPG when you copy photos to a PC with a cable
When you import photos over USB, your iPhone can convert them to a compatible format on the way. Open Settings › Apps › Photos (on older iOS versions, Settings › Photos), scroll to Transfer to Mac or PC, and choose Automatic. Keep Originals transfers HEIC files unchanged.
Take JPG photos from now on
In Settings › Camera › Formats, choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG and take more storage. Photos you already took stay HEIC.
Option 5: Send it from the iPhone
Apple says that when you share by AirDrop, Messages or email with a device that may not support HEIF, the photo may be sent in a more compatible format such as JPEG. For a few photos, emailing them to yourself from the Photos app is often enough. It's not guaranteed, though, so check the file extension when it arrives.
Troubleshooting
Photos still won't open after installing the extensions
Close and reopen the Photos app, or restart the PC. Make sure both extensions are installed (check the Store's library), and that Windows is up to date.
A website says the file type isn't allowed
Installing extensions doesn't change what websites accept. Convert a JPG copy and upload that instead.
The file ends in .HEIC but Filecon says it can't read it
The file may be damaged or only partly copied. Copy it from the iPhone again, or download it again from iCloud. Filecon checks the file's contents, not just its name.
Summary
For viewing on your own PC, install the HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store. For sharing and uploading, convert copies to JPG in your browser, download Most Compatible from iCloud.com, or set your iPhone to transfer JPGs automatically. Keep your original HEIC files if you care about their location and date details.