Guide
What is a HEIC file?
HEIC is the format your iPhone saves photos in. Here is what is actually inside the file, how it differs from HEIF and JPEG, and how to open or convert one on any device.
A HEIC file is a single photo saved in the High Efficiency Image Container format. iPhones and iPads have written their photos as HEIC since iOS 11, because the image inside is compressed with the HEVC codec (the same one used for 4K video) — a picture is typically around half the size of the same photo saved as a JPEG at comparable quality. The trade-off is compatibility: plenty of software, web forms, and printers still expect JPEG, and almost everything that accepts documents expects PDF.
HEIC at a glance
| Extension | .heic, written by iPhone and iPad; the same container also uses .heif |
|---|---|
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container — Apple's name for a HEIF image |
| Compression | HEVC (H.265), the codec used for 4K video |
| Standard | HEIF, published by the MPEG group in 2013 |
| Default since | iPhone and iPad photos from iOS 11 onward |
| Typical size | About half a JPEG photo of comparable quality |
HEIC vs HEIF vs JPEG: what is the difference?
The names get used interchangeably, so it helps to be precise about them:
- HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) is the underlying container standard, published by the MPEG group. It describes how images — and sequences of images — are stored.
- HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the name Apple uses for HEIF files that hold HEVC-compressed photos, and the extension your iPhone writes:
.heic. .heifis the same container with a different extension, used by some Android phones and cameras. Both extensions work in this converter — files are checked by their actual content, not by the name.- JPEG is the older, universal format: larger files, but every device and website from the last thirty years can open one.
PDF is a different thing altogether — not a photo format but a page format. That is exactly why it is useful here: it turns a set of separate photos into one document with a fixed page order.
Why some apps will not open a HEIC file
Apple adopted HEIC early and everyone else followed slowly, so support is uneven. macOS and iOS open HEIC natively. Recent Android versions open it in the default gallery. On Windows, the Photos app may ask you to install an HEIF image extension from the Microsoft Store before it will display one. Older software — desktop apps from a decade ago, some email clients, many upload forms, and almost every print shop — simply does not recognise the format, which is when a HEIC file needs to become a PDF or a JPEG first.
How to open a HEIC file
- iPhone and iPad: open it in Photos — that is where it was created. Quick Look (a tap-and-hold or
Spaceon a Mac) shows it instantly too. - Mac: double-click it; Preview opens HEIC natively, and can export it as PDF or JPEG from File → Export.
- Windows: try the Photos app first; if it cannot read the file, install the HEIF Image Extensions offered by the Microsoft Store. HEIC photos are HEVC-compressed, so Windows may offer the HEVC Video Extensions as well before the file will display.
- Android: open it in the gallery or Google Photos app. If an app rejects it, the file was probably received from an iPhone and needs converting.
- Any device with a browser: use the HEIC to PDF converter — it reads the file locally and hands you a document anyone can open.
To stop your iPhone saving HEIC in the first place, change the camera format: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible switches new photos to JPEG. Photos you have already taken stay in HEIC, so those still need converting.
How to convert HEIC to JPG
If you need separate image files rather than one document, the HEIC to JPG converter on this site turns each photo into a browser-ready .jpg at its original size — select your images, convert, and download them one by one or all together.
How to convert HEIC to PDF
- Open the HEIC to PDF converter and press Select HEIC images. Choose one photo or thirty — drag and drop works too.
- Check the previews and set the page order: the first image becomes page 1. Remove anything that should not be in the document.
- Open PDF settings if you need a specific page size (A4 or US Letter), orientation, or margins. The defaults suit most submissions.
- Press Convert to PDF, then Download PDF. The whole run happens in your browser — your photos are never uploaded.
Two device-specific shortcuts exist as well: the iPhone's built-in Print to PDF trick works offline for a few photos, and Preview on a Mac exports a single image in two clicks. For several images in a chosen order, see the merge guide — or start with the general step-by-step guide.
What happens to the image inside the PDF
The photo keeps its aspect ratio and is placed on the page without stretching or upscaling — a small image stays small, a large one is scaled down rather than blown up. Images are re-encoded as high-quality JPEG inside the document (this is normal for image-based PDFs and keeps file sizes reasonable), and the longest edge is capped at 2480 px — about A4 at 300 DPI, which is print-sharp for an A4 page. Your original HEIC file is never modified.
The exact limits — how many files, how large, and every other setting — are listed on the supported formats section of the homepage.