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HEIC: the iPhone's photo format

HEIC is the format iPhones and iPads use for photos by default. It stores a picture in roughly half the space of a comparable JPEG, with more colour depth. The catch is compatibility: many websites, Windows PCs and browsers can't open HEIC files — ImageDoctor included, in most browsers.

HEIC at a glance

File extensions
.heic, .heif
MIME type
image/heic (also image/heif)
Compression
Lossy, using HEVC (H.265) video compression inside the HEIF container.
Transparency
The container supports it; camera photos don't use it.
Animation
Can hold image sequences and bursts. Live Photos pair a HEIC still with a separate short video.
Colour
Up to 10 bits per channel on iPhone, with wide colour (Display P3) and HDR on recent models.
Browser support
Safari on recent Apple systems. Chrome, Edge and Firefox generally cannot display it.
In ImageDoctor
Accepts HEIC files but can only process them in a browser that decodes HEIC — in practice Safari on a recent Mac, iPhone or iPad. Elsewhere it explains the problem instead of failing silently.

Why iPhones use HEIC

Apple switched the iPhone camera to HEIC in 2017 because it stores photos in roughly half the space of a JPEG that looks the same. It also keeps 10-bit colour, which suits the wide-colour and HDR screens on recent iPhones. On the phone, and between Apple devices, you never notice the format.

Why HEIC files won't open elsewhere

HEIC's compression is HEVC, the same codec as a lot of modern video, and HEVC is covered by patent licensing. Many browser and software makers have not added it, so Chrome, Edge and Firefox generally can't display a HEIC image, Windows needs an extra extension from the Microsoft Store, and many upload forms reject the file outright. Safari can, because Apple's system provides the decoder.

Browser-based tools inherit the same limit. ImageDoctor decodes images with your browser, so in most browsers it cannot open a HEIC file — and there is no honest way for a browser tool to promise otherwise without uploading your photo to a server to convert it.

How to get a JPEG instead

These are all done on your own device, without uploading anything:

  • Share from the iPhone. Many apps and upload forms receive a JPEG automatically when you share or upload a photo from the Photos app.
  • Change the transfer setting. Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic (in iOS 18 and later, Settings → Apps → Photos) converts photos to JPEG when they are copied to a computer.
  • Shoot JPEG from now on. Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes the camera save JPEGs. Files get larger.
  • On a Mac, open the photo in Preview, choose File → Export and pick JPEG.
  • On Windows, install Microsoft's HEIF and HEVC extensions; the Photos app can then open HEIC files and save a copy as JPEG.

Once you have a JPEG, the rest of ImageDoctor works as usual — resize it, compress it or remove its location data.

HEIC photos carry location data too

Like JPEGs, HEIC photos from a phone usually include EXIF metadata: the device, the time and, if location services were on for the camera, the GPS position. Converting to JPEG does not necessarily remove it: iPhones generally keep it unless you switch Location off under Options in the share sheet. Check before you share, and remove what you don't want to send.

When HEIC is the right format

  • Storing photos on Apple devices and in iCloud, where it saves space and everything can read it.

When it isn't

  • Sending photos to people on other platforms, websites and forms. Use JPEG.
  • Web pages. Use WebP or AVIF, which browsers support.

Common questions

For storage on Apple devices, yes: similar quality in about half the space, with more colour depth. For sharing, JPEG is better, because almost everything can open it.

Only in a browser that can decode HEIC, which in practice means Safari on a recent Apple device. In other browsers, export a JPEG from your phone or computer first — the steps above don't upload anything.

Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos will be saved as JPEG, and will take more space.

Tools for HEIC files

Image Metadata ViewerRead EXIF, camera, GPS and colour data straight from the file without uploading it.Image Metadata RemoverStrip EXIF, GPS and camera information before sharing, and compare what was removed.Image ResizerSet exact dimensions, scale by percentage or fit inside a bounding box with contain, cover and fill modes.Image CompressorShrink JPG, PNG and WebP files by quality or to an exact target size, with a side-by-side quality check.

Keep reading

All image formats