HEIF and HEIC: What They Are and How to Open or Convert Them

HEIF is the High Efficiency Image File Format, a container for pictures standardised by the MPEG group. HEIC is its most common variant: a HEIF file whose image is compressed with the HEVC video codec. A HEIC photo is roughly half the size of a JPEG of similar quality, which is why many phones save it by default. To use one where it will not open, change the phone’s camera format to “most compatible”, or export a JPEG copy with the tools already on your phone or computer.

This page explains what the format is, what it can store, why it sometimes refuses to open, and exactly how to convert it or avoid it. The short comparison of all the common formats is in the image file formats guide, and JPEG has its own entry. This one goes further on HEIF alone: phone settings, built-in conversion on each platform, 10-bit HEIF from cameras, and what to keep in an archive.

What HEIF and HEIC actually are

Three names get mixed up, and separating them explains most of the confusion.

• HEIF stands for High Efficiency Image File Format. It is a container: a set of rules for how pictures, their metadata and related data are packed into one file. It is published as an international standard, ISO/IEC 23008-12, and is built on the same underlying file structure as MP4 video. The container does not dictate how the pixels are compressed.
• HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, also called H.265) is a video codec. Its method for compressing a single video frame is very good at compressing a still photo.
• HEIC is the name for a HEIF container holding HEVC-compressed images. It is by far the most common kind of HEIF file, which is why the two names are used as if they meant the same thing.

The format is not the invention of any phone maker. It came out of a standards body, and anyone can implement it. Phones made it common because a phone holds thousands of pictures on fixed storage and halving each file matters there more than anywhere else.

You will meet a few file extensions. .heic is the usual one from phones. .heif is the generic extension, and some cameras write .hif. All are the same family. A file’s extension tells you the container; what matters for opening it is whether your software can also decode the codec inside.

What a HEIF file can store

A JPEG holds one 8-bit picture and some metadata. A HEIF file is closer to a small folder with an index. Depending on what wrote it, it can contain:

• A still image at more than 8 bits per channel. HEVC can encode 10-bit colour, which gives 1,024 levels per channel instead of JPEG’s 256. Not every HEIC uses it: many phone pictures are still 8-bit, while cameras that offer HEIF typically write 10-bit. The idea is explained in bit depth.
• Several images in one file. A burst, a set of bracketed frames or the tiles of one very large picture can be stored together, with one marked as the primary image.
• Image sequences. A timed series of frames, which is how the format handles short animations.
• Depth maps. A greyscale image recording how far each part of the scene was from the camera. Phones use it to blur the background after the fact, as described in portrait mode.
• An alpha channel. A transparency mask, so that part of the picture can be see-through, as in a PNG.
• Other auxiliary images. Thumbnails, and on some phones a brightness map that tells a high dynamic range screen which highlights to show brighter.
• Metadata. The same camera, date and location metadata a JPEG carries.
• Edits stored as instructions. A rotation or crop can be recorded as a rule applied on display, without recompressing the pixels.

One common misunderstanding: the short moving clips some phones record around a still are a separate feature. The clip is video, saved alongside the photo and paired with it by the gallery app. Convert the picture to JPEG and you get the still alone.

File size and quality compared with JPEG

The rule of thumb is that HEIC needs about half the bytes of a JPEG for a picture that looks the same. A phone photo that would be 3 to 4 megabytes as a JPEG is often 1.5 to 2 megabytes as HEIC. The saving varies with the subject. Smooth pictures (skies, skin, blurred backgrounds) compress especially well; pictures full of fine random detail (gravel, foliage, noise) save less.

The gain comes from a newer compression method. JPEG cuts the picture into fixed 8 by 8 pixel blocks and compresses each one independently. HEVC uses blocks of varying size, large in flat areas and small around detail, and predicts each block from the pixels next to it before storing only the difference. The lossy compression entry covers the general principle.

Both formats are lossy, and they fail differently when pushed too hard. An over-compressed JPEG shows hard-edged squares and ringing around edges. An over-compressed HEIC tends to go smooth and slightly painted, losing fine texture before it shows blocks. At the quality settings phones and cameras actually use, neither failure is visible at normal viewing sizes.

Why a HEIC file will not open

The picture is fine. The device trying to show it lacks a decoder. Two things cause that.

First, HEVC is covered by patents, and software makers generally need a licence to include a decoder. Some operating systems and programs ship one, some offer it as an optional add-on, and some leave it out. JPEG has no such obstacle, which is a large part of why it opens on everything.

Second, a lot of software predates the format or has never been updated for it. The usual trouble spots are:

• Web forms and upload pages. Job applications, government portals, print kiosks and marketplace listings often accept JPEG and PNG only.
• Web browsers. Many browsers will not display a HEIC placed on a web page, so the format is a poor choice for a website.
• Photo labs, frames and televisions. Devices that read a memory card or USB stick usually expect JPEG.

Often you never notice, because phones convert quietly. When you attach a photo to an email, post it to a social app or send it by message, the phone usually hands over a JPEG. The files that cause trouble are the ones copied directly: over a cable, from a cloud drive, or exported as “originals”.

How to get a JPEG: phone settings and built-in converters

There are two routes: make the phone produce JPEGs, or convert a HEIC you already have. Menu wording differs between devices and changes over time, so look for the idea, not the exact label.

Change the phone’s capture format

Open the camera’s settings (on some phones these live in the main settings app under the camera entry, on others behind a gear icon in the camera app) and find the option about formats. It is usually worded as a choice between “high efficiency” and “most compatible”, or as a switch named something like “high efficiency pictures”. Choosing the compatible option makes every new photo a JPEG. Pictures already taken are not changed.

The cost is storage: expect photos to take about twice the space from then on. The wider set of camera choices is covered in phone camera settings.

Keep HEIC, but convert on the way out

This is the better choice for most people, because you keep the small files and only make JPEGs when needed. Look for two settings:

• Transfer to computer. In the photo settings there is usually an option for what happens when pictures are copied to a computer over a cable. “Automatic” converts to JPEG during transfer when the computer needs it; “keep originals” copies the HEIC files as they are.
• Share options. On the share screen, an options link often lets you choose between the current format, the most compatible format, or automatic. Pick the compatible format when sending to a website or to someone whose device you do not know.

Converting without extra software

You do not need to install or buy anything. Every major platform can do this with tools it already has.

Convert HEIC to JPEG on a phone

• Share it to yourself. Mail the picture to your own address or save it through the share screen with the compatible format selected. The copy that arrives is a JPEG.
• Use the file manager. Save the photo to the phone’s files app, then press and hold it. Many phones offer a quick action to convert an image, with a choice of format and size.

Convert HEIC to JPEG on a Mac

1. Open the file in the built-in image viewer.
2. Choose Export from the File menu.
3. Set the format to JPEG, set quality toward the high end, and save.

For many files at once, open them all in one viewer window, select every thumbnail in the sidebar and export the selection in one go. Alternatively, select the files in the file browser, right-click, and use the quick action for converting images. If the pictures are in the system photo library, select them and use the export command in the File menu, choosing JPEG as the kind.

Convert HEIC to JPEG on Windows

1. Try opening the file in the built-in photo viewer. If it opens, skip to step 3.
2. If it does not, the system is missing the codec. The viewer normally offers a link to the system’s app store, where the image extension for HEIF and the matching video extension for HEVC are listed. Depending on the system, the HEVC extension may be free or a small paid add-on. Install them and reopen the file.
3. Use “Save as” in the viewer, or open the picture in the built-in paint program, and save a copy as JPEG.

Most current photo editors also import HEIC directly. Import the files, then export JPEGs using the settings in exporting photos: sRGB, high quality, and the pixel size the destination needs.

What conversion costs

• A little quality. Converting decodes one lossy file and re-encodes another. At a high JPEG quality setting the loss is invisible; at a low one you stack two sets of artefacts.
• Extra data. Depth maps, transparency and brightness maps for high dynamic range screens have no place in a JPEG and are dropped.
• Bit depth. A 10-bit original becomes 8-bit.
• Space. The JPEG is about twice the size.

Date, camera and location metadata normally survive. Be careful with free conversion websites: you are uploading personal pictures, often with location data inside, to a stranger’s server. The built-in tools above never send the file anywhere.

HEIF from cameras, and how it compares with raw and newer formats

A 10-bit alternative to JPEG

Many interchangeable-lens cameras offer HEIF as a choice in the image quality menu, in place of JPEG. The appeal is not mainly file size. It is the extra bit depth.

An 8-bit JPEG has 256 levels per channel. That is enough to look smooth as shot, but not enough to survive much editing: brighten the shadows or add contrast to a clear sky and the levels spread apart into visible steps, the fault described in banding. A 10-bit HEIF has four times as many levels per channel, so the same edit has more to work with.

Cameras often tie HEIF to a high dynamic range picture mode. In that mode the file is encoded with a tone curve and a wide colour gamut meant for HDR televisions and screens, so highlights such as sunlit clouds, reflections and lamps can be shown brighter than ordinary white. On an ordinary screen, or in software that does not understand the encoding, the same file can look flat or dull. If your camera links the two, test the whole path, from camera to the screen your audience uses, before relying on it.

Practical points for camera HEIF:

• It is still a finished, lossy file. White balance, picture style, sharpening and noise reduction are baked in, exactly as with JPEG.
• Many cameras can convert a HEIF to a JPEG in playback, which gets you a shareable copy without a computer.
• Check that your editor, your phone’s transfer app and your print lab accept the files before an important shoot.

Raw, AVIF, JPEG XL and WebP

Raw. A raw file is a different kind of thing. It stores what the sensor recorded, usually at 12 or 14 bits, before white balance, tone and colour are decided. HEIF stores a finished picture. Ten bits gives a HEIF more room for editing than a JPEG, but far less than a raw file: you cannot change white balance without penalty or recover clipped highlights that the camera’s processing already discarded. For anything you plan to edit seriously, raw remains the capture format, as set out in RAW vs JPEG. Phones blur the line with their own raw modes, covered in the mobile RAW workflow.

AVIF. AVIF uses the same HEIF container structure with a different codec inside, AV1, which was designed to be free of royalties. That removes the licensing obstacle, and web browsers support it widely, so it is the format of this family you are most likely to meet on websites. Few cameras or phones capture in it.

JPEG XL and WebP. JPEG XL is a separate format, not based on HEIF, that supports high bit depths and lossless compression; software and browser support is uneven. WebP is an older web format with good browser support, limited to 8 bits and aimed at delivery, not capture.

What to archive

The safest rule is to keep what the camera made. A HEIC original is the highest quality version of that picture that will ever exist. Converting your library to JPEG and deleting the originals makes every file larger and slightly worse, and throws away depth and high dynamic range data, in exchange for a compatibility problem you can solve at any time by exporting a copy.

• Keep the HEIC or HEIF originals in your main library and in your backups. The format is an open, published international standard with decoders on every major platform, so the risk of it becoming unreadable is low.
• Add JPEG copies of the pictures that matter most if the archive is meant for other people. A folder of JPEGs is what relatives can open without help. The reasoning is laid out in how to organize and preserve a family photo archive.
• Never edit and re-save the same lossy file repeatedly. Each save recompresses it. Edit from the original and export once.
• Back up whatever you keep. File format matters far less than having more than one copy; see the photo backup guide.

Common mistakes

• Renaming .heic to .jpg. Changing the extension does not change the contents, and the file still will not open. Fix: export or convert the file properly.
• Converting the whole library and deleting the originals. You lose quality and extra data and double your storage. Fix: keep originals, convert copies on demand.
• Uploading private photos to a conversion website. The files and their location data leave your control. Fix: use the viewer, file manager or photo app already on your device.
• Converting at a low quality setting. A heavily compressed JPEG made from an already compressed HEIC shows artefacts quickly. Fix: use a high quality setting for conversions; reduce pixel dimensions if the file must be small.
• Switching the phone to JPEG for one upload. It doubles storage use for every future photo. Fix: leave capture on high efficiency and set sharing or transfer to convert.
• Sending camera HEIF files in an HDR mode to people with ordinary screens. They may look flat. Fix: convert to a standard JPEG in camera or in your editor for general sharing.

Try this

Take fifteen minutes with your own phone. Photograph one scene with both fine detail and a smooth area, such as a tree against a clear sky. First, find the format option in the camera settings and note which choice is active. Take the picture in the high efficiency format, switch to the compatible format and take it again, then switch back. Second, look at each file’s details and compare the sizes. Third, send the high efficiency version to yourself by email and check what format arrives. Fourth, copy the original to a computer and convert it to JPEG with the built-in viewer. Open the original and the converted copy side by side at 100% and look at the fine branches and the sky.

Frequently asked questions

Is HEIC better than JPEG?

It is more efficient: similar quality in about half the space, with the option of 10-bit colour and extras such as depth maps. JPEG is better in one way that often matters more, which is that it opens everywhere. Keep HEIC for storage and use JPEG for sharing with unknown devices.

Does converting HEIC to JPEG lose quality?

Slightly, because the picture is compressed a second time. At a high JPEG quality setting the difference is not visible at normal sizes. Depth, transparency and high dynamic range data are dropped.

Why are my phone photos HEIC all of a sudden?

The camera’s format option is set to high efficiency, which is the default on many phones, or a system update or reset restored that default. Change it in the camera settings if you want JPEG, or leave it and let the phone convert when sharing.

Can I print a HEIC file?

Printing from your own phone or computer works, because the system decodes the file before sending it to the printer. Many labs and kiosks accept JPEG only, so export a high quality JPEG for those. File preparation is covered in how to prepare photos for printing.

Should I shoot HEIF or raw on my camera?

Shoot raw if you edit your pictures, because it keeps far more information. Choose HEIF in place of JPEG when you want finished files with smoother gradients, and confirm first that your software and your recipients can open them.

Related guides

• Image file formats guide: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP and HEIF side by side.
• RAW vs JPEG: finished files against sensor data, and when each is right.
• Colour depth: what 8, 10 and 14 bits mean for gradients and editing.
• Exporting photos: format, size and quality settings for each destination.
• Phone camera settings: the other capture options worth changing.
• How to organize and preserve a family photo archive: choosing formats that relatives can open.
• Lossless compression: formats that shrink files without discarding anything.