HEIC viewer
HEIC viewer: open iPhone photos on any computer
iPhone photos copied to a PC often arrive as .heic files that Windows will not open. Drop one here to see it, then save it as a JPG. The HEIC viewer decodes the photo in your browser.
No viewer on their side? Save it as an image above, then share it as a tracked link.
How to view a HEIC file
See a HEIC photo in three steps
Works on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, with no extension to install.
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Step 1
Choose the .heic
Straight from an iPhone, a cloud photo export or an email attachment.
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Step 2
See the photo
It is decoded on your device and shown at full size.
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Step 3
Save it as JPG
One button saves a JPG copy that opens everywhere.
What a HEIC file is
HEIC is how iPhones and iPads have saved photos by default since iOS 11 in 2017. It is a High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) container holding a picture compressed with HEVC, the same compression used for 4K video, so a HEIC photo is often around half the size of a JPEG of similar quality. The Library of Congress describes both the HEIF container and the HEIC brand.
Why Windows will not open HEIC files
HEVC is a patented codec, so Windows does not include it. The Photos app needs the HEIF Image Extensions and the HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store, and the HEVC one is not always free. Many web browsers do not show HEIC either. This viewer uses the open-source heic2any library, which carries its own decoder, so the photo opens without any of that.
What to know
- The viewer shows the main image. A file that holds a burst or several images shows the first one.
- The JPG copy is saved at high quality. Photo details such as the date and the location are not carried into the JPG copy, which is useful before sharing a photo publicly.
- Very new formats, such as some HDR photos, may not decode. The original stays untouched either way.
Stop the problem at the source
On the iPhone, Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible makes the camera save new photos as JPG. When photos are transferred to a computer through the Photos settings, the option to transfer automatically converts them to JPG as well. Existing HEIC photos stay as they are, which is when a viewer like this is handy.
FAQ
HEIC viewer questions
How do I view a HEIC file?
Drop it on the box at the top of this page. It is decoded in your browser and shown at full size, with no extension or app to install.
How do I convert HEIC to JPEG?
Open the photo here and press Save as JPG. On an iPhone, you can also switch the camera to Most Compatible so new photos are saved as JPG.
Is there a free HEIC viewer?
Yes, this one: no sign-up, no limit and no upload. Macs also open HEIC files in Preview and Photos.
Why can't I view HEIC files on Windows 11?
Windows needs the HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store to show HEIC photos, and the HEVC one is not always free. A browser viewer avoids the extensions.
Does saving as JPG lose quality?
Slightly, as any JPEG does, but at the high quality setting used here the difference is hard to see. The original HEIC file is not changed.
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