.heic files
.heic file
High Efficiency Image Container
The format an iPhone saves photos in — about half the size of a JPEG at the same quality.
What opens a .heic file
- Windows
- Photos (with HEIF Image Extensions + HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store), IrfanView (with plugins), Adobe Photoshop
- macOS
- Preview (built in), Photos (built in), Adobe Photoshop
- Linux
- GIMP, Loupe / Image Viewer (needs libheif), heif-convert (libheif tools)
- In a browser
- iCloud.com Photos, CloudConvert
What a .heic file is
HEIC is the file extension Apple uses for HEIF images encoded with HEVC, adopted as the iPhone default in iOS 11 (2017). Apple platforms handle it natively; Windows does not, because Microsoft licenses HEVC separately, so you need the free HEIF Image Extensions plus the paid HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store to view one in Photos. If you only need to send photos to someone else, iPhone Settings > Camera > Formats > "Most Compatible" makes the camera shoot JPEG instead.
Converting it
A .heic file is commonly converted to .jpg, .png, .pdf, .tiff or .webp. It is a binary format, so a text editor will show unreadable characters rather than its contents.
Details
- Extension
- .heic
- Full name
- High Efficiency Image Container
- Category
- Images
- MIME type
- image/heic
- Created by
- Apple / MPEG (ISO/IEC 23008-12)
- Format
- Binary
Common questions
- How do I open a .heic file?
- On Windows use Photos (with HEIF Image Extensions + HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store); on macOS use Preview (built in); on Linux use GIMP. The format an iPhone saves photos in — about half the size of a JPEG at the same quality.
- What is a .heic file?
- High Efficiency Image Container. HEIC is the file extension Apple uses for HEIF images encoded with HEVC, adopted as the iPhone default in iOS 11 (2017). Apple platforms handle it natively; Windows does not, because Microsoft licenses HEVC separately, so you need the free HEIF Image Extensions plus the paid HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store to view one in Photos.
- Can I convert a .heic file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .jpg, .png, .pdf, .tiff or .webp, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .jpg — JPEG Image The lossy photo format that every camera, phone and website has used since the 1
- .png — Portable Network Graphics Lossless image format with transparency, made for screenshots, logos and web gra
- .jpeg — JPEG Image (four-letter form) The same format as .jpg — the longer spelling, kept alive by Macs and Unix syste
- .webp — WebP Image Google's web image format — smaller than JPEG or PNG, and now supported everywhe
- .gif — Graphics Interchange Format The 256-colour animation format from 1987 that refuses to die.
- .psd — Adobe Photoshop Document Photoshop's working file, keeping layers, masks and text editable.
- .svg — Scalable Vector Graphics An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at an
- .ai — Adobe Illustrator Artwork Illustrator's vector working file, used for logos, icons and print artwork.
- .avif — AV1 Image File Format A royalty-free image format built on the AV1 video codec, smaller than JPEG or W
- .tiff — Tagged Image File Format The lossless, multi-page image format used in printing, scanning and archiving.
- .raw — Camera Raw Image Unprocessed sensor data from a camera — and, confusingly, a literal extension us
- .ico — Windows Icon A container holding one icon at several sizes, used by Windows and by website fa
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place