How to open HEIC photos on Windows, Android and the web

What HEIC is

HEIC (also written HEIF) is the format iPhones use by default. It stores a photo at about the same quality as JPG in roughly half the space. Apple, and most new Android phones, use it to save storage.

The catch is compatibility. Older software, many websites and some versions of Windows do not understand it, so a photo that looks perfect on the phone cannot be opened or uploaded elsewhere.

Option 1: convert it to JPG

The most reliable fix is to convert the photo to JPG, which opens everywhere. The HEIC to JPG converter on Toolstia does this in your browser. You drop in up to 30 photos and download JPG or PNG copies. The photos are not uploaded to any server.

Choose JPG for photos you will share or upload. PNG keeps every pixel exactly, but the files are much larger.

Option 2: add support to Windows

Recent versions of Windows can open HEIC once the right extensions are installed from the Microsoft Store. You need the HEIF Image Extensions, and usually the HEVC Video Extensions as well. Depending on your device, one of them may cost a small fee. This is why many people prefer converting instead.

Option 3: change what the iPhone saves

If you mostly share photos with people on other devices, you can tell the iPhone to take JPG pictures from now on.

1. Open Settings, then Camera.
2. Tap Formats.
3. Choose Most Compatible instead of High Efficiency.

Option 4: let the iPhone convert when you send

When you transfer photos to a PC with a cable, the iPhone can convert them for you. In Settings, open Photos, scroll to the bottom and set Transfer to Mac or PC to Automatic. Sharing a photo through some apps also converts it, but this is not reliable, so check the result.

A note on privacy

HEIC photos carry the same hidden data as JPG, including location if your camera was allowed to record it. A converted copy is a new picture without that data, but check with the photo metadata checker if it matters, and keep your original.