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.heic

What is a .heic file?

HEIC is Apple's default photo format — a high-efficiency container that uses HEVC compression to produce files roughly half the size of equivalent JPGs without visible quality loss.

Safe format
Type Image
By MPEG / Apple
MIME image/heic

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What is it

HEIC is Apple's default photo format — a high-efficiency container that uses HEVC compression to produce files roughly half the size of equivalent JPGs without visible quality loss. Every photo your iPhone has taken since 2017 is a HEIC file. You just never noticed because Apple quietly converts them to JPG whenever you share. It also supports features JPG never will: depth maps, bursts, live photos, and 10-bit colour. The catch is compatibility. Outside Apple's ecosystem, support is patchy at best. Windows needs a Microsoft Store extension. Most web browsers can't display HEIC directly. Android added support late and inconsistently. It's the best photo format almost nobody can open.

Technical details
Full Name
High Efficiency Image Container
MIME Type
image/heic
Developer
MPEG / Apple
Magic Bytes
00 00 00 18 66 74 79 70
Safety
.heic is a known, safe format.
What opens it
Apple Preview
FREE macOS
Apple Photos
FREE macOS / iOS
Windows Photos
FREE Windows
GIMP
FREE All
Affinity Photo
$70 All
Adobe Lightroom
Subscription All

* Requires HEIF Image Extensions from Microsoft Store

Convert with fwip

Convert .heic files instantly in your browser. No upload, no signup, no subscription. Your files never leave your device.

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Free in your browser. Batch processing & offline mode in the desktop bundle.

FAQ
Why can't I open HEIC files on Windows?
Windows doesn't include HEIC support by default. You can install the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, or convert to JPG instantly with fwip — your file never leaves your device.
Is HEIC better than JPG?
In terms of compression, yes — HEIC files are roughly half the size of JPGs at equivalent quality. But JPG is universally compatible across every device and browser. For sharing, JPG is usually the safer bet.
How do I stop my iPhone saving photos as HEIC?
Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and select Most Compatible. Your photos will save as JPG instead. Note that this will use more storage space.
Can I batch convert HEIC files?
The free web version of fwip converts one file at a time. The desktop bundle supports batch conversion — drop a folder of HEIC files and convert them all to JPG in one go.
Related formats
.heif
High Efficiency Image File Format
.jpg
JPEG Image
.png
Portable Network Graphics
.webp
WebP Image
.avif
AV1 Image File Format
.tiff
Tagged Image File Format