What is a HEIC file?
HEIC is what an iPhone saves photos as by default. It fits roughly twice as many pictures in the same space as JPG at similar quality, but very little outside Apple opens one, so sharing a HEIC usually means converting it first. You can turn a HEIC into other formats here, though nothing can be saved back as HEIC.
Specification
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .heic, .heif |
| Media type | image/heic |
| Compression | Lossy |
| Transparency | Supported |
| Animation | Supported |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | Up to 10 bits per channel |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 2015 |
| Developed by | MPEG / Apple |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Some browsers only |
What HEIC is used for
- iPhone and iPad camera output
- Storing large photo libraries on Apple devices
- Live Photos and images carrying a depth map
- Burst sequences kept together in one file
Strengths and limitations
What HEIC does well
- Around half the size of JPEG at comparable quality
- Smooth skies and gradients, without the banding JPEG shows
- Carries depth information and extra frames in the same file
Where HEIC falls short
- Patent licensing has kept support outside Apple very thin
- Most browsers and Windows installs cannot open it without extras
- Sharing a HEIC almost always means converting it first
Convert HEIC to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Tools that accept HEIC
Questions about HEIC
What is a .heic file?
HEIC is what an iPhone saves photos as by default. The extension .heic or .heif identifies it, and its media type is image/heic.
How do I open a HEIC file?
Browsers do not display HEIC natively, so you either need software that understands it or you convert it to something more common first. Converting is usually the faster route when you only need to look at the contents once.
Is HEIC lossy or lossless?
Lossy. That means detail is discarded during encoding and each re-save compounds the loss, so keep an untouched master where quality matters.
What is HEIC good for?
Around half the size of JPEG at comparable quality. Smooth skies and gradients, without the banding JPEG shows. Carries depth information and extra frames in the same file. In practice that makes it a good fit for iPhone and iPad camera output, and Storing large photo libraries on Apple devices.
What are the drawbacks of HEIC?
Patent licensing has kept support outside Apple very thin. Most browsers and Windows installs cannot open it without extras. Sharing a HEIC almost always means converting it first.