Turn HEIC files into WebP
Your HEIC goes in and a WebP comes out. WebP gives you the same picture in a noticeably smaller file than JPG or PNG, usually a quarter to a third smaller. The practical difference is that the result opens anywhere, which HEIC files do not. Your file never leaves your computer.
How to convert HEIC to WebP
- 1 Drop your HEIC .heic or .heif file onto the page, or click to browse for it.
- 2 Set the quality, or leave the default, which keeps the file small without anything showing.
- 3 Convert. The work happens on your own machine, so how long it takes depends on your computer and the file.
- 4 Download the WebP, or add more files and do the whole set in one go.
Why convert HEIC to WebP
- A HEIC will not open in a browser, so anything going onto a web page, into a document or into a message has to become a WebP first.
- Substantially smaller than JPEG and PNG at matching quality.
- One format covers photos, flat graphics, transparency and animation.
- Web images where page weight is a ranking and conversion factor.
- HEIC: patent licensing has kept support outside Apple very thin.
HEIC compared with WebP
How the two formats differ on the things that decide whether a conversion is worth making.
| Property | HEIC | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | .heic | .webp |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy or lossless |
| Colour depth | Up to 10 bits per channel | 8 bits per channel |
| Typical file size | Smaller | Depends on mode |
| Browser support | Some browsers | Every browser |
| Introduced | 2015 | 2010 |
| Developed by | MPEG / Apple |
Quality and what changes
WebP stores the same content under a different set of rules, so what matters here is compatibility rather than picture quality. Convert once from the best source you have rather than through a chain of intermediate files.
- HEIC files can be read here but not created, so conversions run one way only.
- HEIC files with a depth map or Live Photo data keep only the main still image.
- One WebP limitation to keep in mind: very large images have to be scaled down before they will save.
Questions about HEIC to WebP
Is there a maximum size for WebP?
Yes, WebP is limited to 16383 x 16383 pixels. Images beyond that have to be scaled down or split before they can be written, which is a property of the format rather than of this tool.
Is my HEIC file uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole thing runs inside the browser tab you already have open. Your HEIC is read straight from your own disk, converted on your machine and handed back as a WebP. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored and there is no account.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no server-side limit because no server sees the file. The real ceiling is your device memory, since the input and the output both have to fit in the tab. A few hundred megabytes is usually fine on a desktop machine and considerably less on a phone.
Can I convert several HEIC files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like and they are processed one after another, then offered as separate WebP downloads or as a single ZIP. Speed depends on your own processor rather than on a queue.
Does the converter work offline?
Yes, after the page has loaded once. The engine is cached by the browser, so you can disconnect, reload and keep converting. That falls out of doing the work locally rather than being a separate mode you switch on.