You plug in your iPhone, copy your photos across, and find a pile of files ending in .heic that your photo viewer, your work software, or that website you are trying to upload to simply will not open. So what is a HEIC file, and why does it cause so much grief?
The short answer
HEIC is the file format Apple started using for photos in 2017, with iOS 11. The name is short for High Efficiency Image Container. Its whole reason for existing is to store a photo that looks just as good as a JPG in roughly half the file space. On a phone holding tens of thousands of photos, that saving adds up fast.
HEIC is not a worse format than JPG. In most ways it is better. The trouble is purely that less software can read it.
Why your computer struggles with it
JPG has been the standard for photos since the 1990s, so everything opens it. HEIC is newer and is built on a video compression technology called HEVC, which is patent-encumbered. That licensing has made software makers slow to support it. The result is a format that is technically excellent but practically awkward:
- Older versions of Windows cannot open HEIC without an add-on.
- Many websites reject HEIC uploads and only accept JPG or PNG.
- Plenty of photo printers, frames, and older devices have never heard of it.
Should you convert your HEIC photos?
If everything you use opens HEIC happily, there is no reason to convert anything. The format is fine, and converting to JPG actually makes the files larger. Convert only when you hit a wall: a site that will not accept the upload, a program that cannot open it, or someone you are sharing with who cannot view it. When that happens, our guide on how to convert HEIC to JPG walks through the options.
Where Holdfast fits
When you do need JPGs, the HEIC to JPG tool converts a whole folder at once, in your browser, and keeps the dates and locations stored inside each photo. Nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Common questions
Is HEIC better than JPG?
Technically yes. HEIC stores a photo of equal visible quality in roughly half the file size. Its only real drawback is that less software can open it than JPG.
Why did my iPhone start saving photos as HEIC?
Apple switched the default photo format to HEIC in 2017 with iOS 11, to save storage space. You can switch your iPhone back to JPG in Settings, Camera, Formats, by choosing Most Compatible.
Can I just leave my photos as HEIC?
Yes, if everything you use can open them. Converting is only worth doing when you hit software or a website that will not accept HEIC.