What is HEIC? The Complete Guide to Apple's Photo Format

If you own an iPhone, every photo you take is saved as a HEIC file by default. Yet if you try to open one on a Windows PC, half the time it just shows a blank icon. So what exactly is HEIC, why does Apple use it, and what can you do about the compatibility mess?

HEIC in Plain English

HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It is a file format that uses the HEVC (H.265) video codec to compress still images. Yes, a video codec for photos. It sounds weird, but it works incredibly well.

The result is photos that are about 50% smaller than equivalent JPEG images while maintaining equal or better visual quality. On a 256GB iPhone, that effectively doubles your photo storage capacity.

What Makes HEIC Better Than JPEG

• 50% smaller files at the same visual quality
• 16-bit color depth versus JPEG's 8-bit, which means smoother gradients and more editing flexibility
• Transparency support like PNG, but with much better compression
• Live Photos can store image sequences in a single HEIC file
• HDR support for high dynamic range photography

The Compatibility Problem

Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC files, but only if you install the "HEVC Video Extensions" from the Microsoft Store. Many photo editors, print services, and websites still do not accept HEIC uploads. And sharing HEIC files with Android users can be hit or miss depending on their phone.

What To Do About It

The best approach is to keep shooting in HEIC on your iPhone (the benefits are real) and convert to JPG only when you need to share or upload. Filoshi converts HEIC to JPG instantly, either one at a time in the browser or in batch with the desktop app. Your files never leave your computer during conversion.