You AirDrop a photo from your iPhone to a Windows PC, double-click it, and nothing opens. That is HEIC — and here is how to fix it.
Why your iPhone saves HEIC
Since iOS 11, iPhones default to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container). It packs roughly the same quality as JPG into about half the size — great for your phone’s storage, awkward everywhere else. Windows, older Android phones, many upload forms and some design tools still cannot read it.
HEIC to JPG or PNG — which one?
- JPG — best for photos and for uploading. Small files, opens everywhere. Pick this for almost all iPhone photos.
- PNG — lossless and larger. Only worth it if you need perfect quality or the image has sharp graphics or text.
Convert without uploading your photos
Your camera roll is personal — receipts, screenshots of documents, family photos. You should not hand those to a random conversion site. These tools run entirely on your device; the photo never leaves your browser:
- HEIC to JPG — the everyday choice.
- HEIC to PNG — when you need lossless quality.
Drop the .heic file in and download the result. It works on Windows, Mac, ChromeOS — anything with a modern browser.
Tips
- The first conversion loads a decoder, so it may take a second; after that it is quick.
- Want the file even smaller? Convert to JPG, then compress the image.
- Fix it at the source: on your iPhone, go to Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible to shoot JPG directly.
For how HEIC compares with other modern formats, see AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG.