What is HEIC & HEIF? How To Open HEIC File

Want to know What is HEIC? and What is HEIF? Having trouble to open those format files on your system? Want to know How to open the HEIC file or HEIF file? This article will give you enough information about HEIC and HEIF file, pros, cons, how to open HEIC file.

What is HEIC & HEIF?

HEIC is a new image format introduced by Apple from iOS 11 and Mac OS High Sierra. Earlier versions of iOS and Mac were creating JPEG images with huge file sizes. Newer versions are creating images in HEIC file which is High-Efficiency Image Format (HEIF). This file may appear as .HEIC or .HEIF file.

Apple is replacing JPEG with HEIC or HEIF. It is beneficial to the user. This image format preserves original high quality in less space than JPEG. So you find lesser file size but with high quality. HEIC file may contain more than one image like iPhone live photos or bursts or image sequences. It will also contain the metadata about image details.

HEIF is based on the HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Compression) or H.265 which is already using on iPhone. It uses advanced compression techniques to make your images smaller while preserving original quality.

HEIC is not actually a format. We can say it is a container which stores more than one image and image information. This is very useful for the live photos, images captured by dual cameras.

Pros

  • Occupies less storage. Saves almost 50% storage space.
  • Stores High-quality image.
  • Stores more than one image.
  • It can store image edits like cropping. You can undo them anytime.
  • Compatible with 16-bit color Vs 8-bit JPEG.

Cons

  • Not compatible with other Operating Systems.
  • Not compatible with other photo apps like photoshop.
  • Cannot open on Android or Windows.

Is it possible to share HEIC images?

iOS 11 automatically converts HEIC images while sharing with other phones or on Social media. But it is not 100 percent. Still, you will see some not compatible devices.

I Don’t Want HEIC file? What Should I Do?

It is possible to allow your latest iOS to take photos in normal JPEG format.

Just go to Settings -> Camera -> Formats and select Most Compatible option. Now you can see your new photos in JPEG format.

How to open HEIC file on Windwos?

HEIC file format is supported by Apple preview, Apple photos (Mac OS High Sierra or later), iOS photos (iOS 11 or later). So even if you have Mac or iPhone with older versions, you can not open the HEIC file. You can not even open HEIF file using Windows or any other devices. There are so many ways to open HEIC file.

If you have a Mac, Just upgrade your Mac OS to the Mac OS High Sierra or the latest version. If you have Windows, No windows explorer or app supports HEIC file. So you can not open the file directly.

Follow below methods. You can use below methods on Mac as well.

  1. Install or add the HEIF and HEVC extensions for Windows from the Microsoft store.
  2. CopyTrans is also another amazing tool that helps you to view HEIC files on Windows.
  3. You can use the Dropbox web version or desktop version to open the HEIC file.
  4. You can also use Google Drive to upload images from iOS and open files on your PC using Google Drive.
  5. You can also use other great software like Apowersoft Photo viewer, FileViewer plus that easily compatible with Windows 10 software.
  6. Use Wondershare Dr.Fone Transfer (iOS) which can convert HEIC images automatically transferring to your PC or Mac from iOS.
  7. You need to convert the HEIC file into JPEG using Free software like Apowersoft HEIC to JPEG.

How to View HEIC file Online?

  • You can view the HEIC images/files online with the help of the HEIC viewer decoder.
  • You can also use many online software like heictojpg, heic, and many others to view and convert the HEIC files online.
  • You will see the below screen. Drag the HEIC file and convert it to JPEG.convert HEIC to JPEG

Top HEIC converter software for Windows

1. iMyFone HEIC converter

iMyFone HEIC Converter - Free tool for Windows

iMyFone Free HEIC Converter is one of the great software that provides different tools for different solutions, among the HEIC converter is also one of the best software for windows. It is a free application to convert HEIC images/files into JPEG or PNG formats easily. It also allows you to convert a batch of images at once. It provides several benefits like control the output quality of images, Keeping the metadata, and more.

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2. Aiseesoft HEIC Converter

Aiseesoft HEIC Converter is the one another great tool to convert the HEIC file to JPEG/JPG and PNG which are more useful and compatible with the different platforms. It is very easy to use and convert very fast. The free version of Windows allows you to convert up to 10 files only. With the professional version, you can convert a batch of images at once without any hassle. You can also adjust the output image quality before going to convert. It supports Windows of versions 8, 7, and 10. The professional version available at $22.80.

3.iMazing HEIC converter.

iMazing HEIC converter

iMazing HEIC Converter is the best free desktop app for Microsoft. It is also available as an extension for windows. It is a very efficient tool to convert the HEIC files to regular formats easily. It supports color profiles including wide-gamut. It is very fast and easy to use. It converts the files/images to most regular formats like JPEG, PNG.

4. CopyTrans HEIC

CopyTrans HEIC- Best converter tool for Windows.

CopyTrans HEIC is the tool to view or convert files into JPG or PNG formats easily. It is the best software available free of cost for personal. Installation is a hassle-free process. It provides strong security for your data. It will convert the HEIC photos along with preserving the date taken, Geometrical location, and many more. No need to launch any software to convert HEIC files, just right-click on the image you want and select the CopyTrans Converter.

You may convert 100 files/images at once. You can also easily insert the images into Microsoft Office documents, Presentations, and others without any effort. They will occupy less place in the documents and respond quickly because of CopyTrans.

5. CopyTrans Photo

CopyTrans Photo.

CopyTrans Photo is another software provided by CopyTrans to convert the HEIC images to JPEG and PNG formats. All you need to do is just download the tool on your device. Just right-click on the HEIC image and select the “save to JPG” option. It also helps you to transfer iPhone or iPod images to a computer and vice versa. You can also convert the HEIC images while transferring from iPhone or iPod. It is a secure and stable application like other CopyTrans programs without any Ads, Spy, and available free of cost. It is easily compatible with Windows10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7.

6. TunesBro HEIC converter

TunesBro is also one of the essential software to convert HEIC files to JPEG and PNG. It can convert images in two different modes like Single conversion mode and batch conversion mode. Single conversion allows you to convert a single image at a time. Batch conversion allows you to convert 100+ images at once. It converts your phone-captured HEIC images accurately without any loss. It controls the output quality and keeps the metadata. It is the best software with virus and plugin-free and also it protects your transaction strongly. If you are not satisfied with this tool, you can get your money within 30 days. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

  • The pro version of Windows available at a cost of $29.95.

7. FonePaw HEIC Converter

FonePaw is another offline tool for best HEIC conversion. You can convert as many as images you want without any cost. It is possible to convert HEIC files one by one or batch at once. It doesn’t compress the image quality, always maintains the best quality of output files. Sometimes it shows an error when you open or tries to convert The HEIC files. You can try it a second time and it usually works.

8. PDFelement

Wondershare PDFelement

PDFelement is one of the best software that offers different tools for many purposes like sign documents, remove or add watermark, convert to PDF, and many more. It also provides the converting to convert images or files to regular formats like JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP. It also supports batch conversion, and thus you can upload as many files or images as you want and convert them at once. You can also edit the image with the help of the edit option. It is an easy and super-cool interface to work will different applications and the best choice for most of the world.

Top HEIC converter tools online

1.Apowersoft HEIC Converter

Apowersoft HEIC converter official page

Apowersoft HEIC converter is a free tool that brings you a better experience in conversion. You can use this converter completely without installing any software, no need to sign in or subscribe. It also supports batch conversion which is the best time-saving solution. You can convert up to 30 photos at a time. The complete process will take place in the cloud, no need to worry about security. The uploaded files are completely safe and the files are deleted once the conversion was completed.

2. cloudconvert

cloudconvert official page

CloudConvert is one of the amazing online software to convert HEIC files to most regular formats. It supports all audio, video, documents, images, spreadsheets, and many more. You can use this tool without downloading any software. Among many other formats, it supports PNG, JPG, WEBP, and HEIC. You can select the width and height of the output image. You can also manage the output quality before converting and the metadata. It provides strong security for your data.

3. freetoolonline

Freetoolonline official page

This is the another online tool helps you to convert HEIC to other popular formats like JPG and PDF. It supports batch conversions upto 500 file(s) at a time. All you need to do is just drag and drop the files. The converted files will available in the form of Zip folder. If you choose the output format as PDF, it convert each and every image into PDF and merge all of them into a complete PDF file.

4. HEICtoJPG

heictojpg official page

HEICtoJPG is another online tool that converts your HEIC files easily powered by the JPGmini You can convert your HEIC files to common formats without losing any quality. Using this online tool you can convert only 5 photos. If you want to convert more files at a time, it’s better to get JPEGmini.

5. HEIC

HEIC online converter

HEIC is the online tool to convert Mac or iOS images to the Widely used JPEG or PNG format without losing any quality. It is very simple to use, you can set the output quality, resolution, size, cropping, compression and many other. You can also manage the metadata of the images, you keep or remove that metadata according to your need. It supports batch conversion. you can convert up to 100 images at once. No need to download any software and doesn’t require any registration to use this software.

6. ONILE-CONVERT

ONLINE CONVERTER for HEIC

ONLINE-CONVERT is the online conversion media. It is a very fast and secure tool to convert HEIC files or images into JPG and PNG formats. You can maintain the output quality, resolution, cropping, size, color, compressor, enhance, and many more before the conversion. You can also upload the files from Google Drive, Dropbox, or with the help of a URL.

7. iMobie HEIC converter

iMobie- best online HEIC converter

iMobie HEIC converter is the most powerful and reliable tool when it comes to batch conversion of HEIC files. It supports the most common formats like JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF. You can also set the output quality of the image or file. It preserves the metadata of the images. It is completely free of cost. You can also download the offline version on both Windows and Mac.

8. Free Convert

Free Convert- Best HEIC converter

Free Convert is another online tool that allows you to convert HEIC files into widely used formats. It is very simple to use, simply drag and drop the file on the site and click on Convert. Your file will be converted into JPEG or JPG or PNG format Within the blink of an eye with high quality. You can also resize or compress the output image by selecting their respective options. It is completely free and available on any one of your browsers.

Top HEIC convert apps for Mac

1. Aiseesoft HEIC converter

Aiseesoft HEIC converter for mac

Aiseesoft HEIC Converter is the one another great tool to convert the HEIC file to JPEG/JPG and PNG which are more useful and compatible with the different platforms. It is very easy to use and convert very fast. The free version of Windows allows you to convert up to 10 files only. With the professional version, you can convert a batch of images at once without any hassle. You can also adjust the output image quality before going to convert. It supports Mac OS X 10.7 and higher. The professional version available at $22.80 with 20% off.

2. iMazing HEIC converter

iMazing Heic Converter for Mac

iMazing is one of the best HEIC to JPG converter software suitable for many operating systems like Windows, Mac, and iOS without any cost. You can convert HEIC images to widely used formats like JPG and PNG with high speed. All you need to do for conversion is just drag and drop the folder or particular HEIC image on the main interface. You can also convert multiple HEIC images or files at once. It converts the image without any quality loss and also preserves the EXIF metadata for further use.

3. TuneBro HEIC converter

TunesBro HEIC converter for Mac

TunesBro is an amazing tool to convert HEIC files to JPG and PNG. The most effective feature is batch conversion that saves your time and energy. You can convert up to 100+ images or files at a time. It converts your phone-captured HEIC images accurately without any loss. It controls the output quality and keeps the metadata. It is the best software with virus and plugin-free and also it protects your transaction strongly. If you are not satisfied with this tool, you can get your money within 30 days.

  • The Mac version is available at a cost of $28.5.

4. Fonepaw HEIC converter

Fonepaw HEIC converter official page

Fonepaw HEIC Converter is another essential to do your task. It converts the HEIC files or images with high speed and free. You can convert the batch of HEIC files at once within the blink of an eye. It will maintain the good output quality. Sometimes it shows an error when you open or tries to convert The HEIC files. You can try it a second time and it usually works.

5.Movavi

Movavi HEIC converter official page

Movavi is the lightning and fast conversion tool. It also supports the batch conversion process of any number of files of any size. You can convert multiple files at a time without losing the quality, even if you are dealing with 4K videos. You can also edit and compress your HEIC files/images without any problem. It supports windows operating system including Mac.

6. Bitware HEIC converter

ware HEIC converter official page.

Bitware is the simple and free software for HEIC conversion. You can convert your HEIC files or images to the most regular formats like JPG, PNG, WEBP, BMP with high speed. Batch conversion is also available without any quality loss and preserves the original EXIF metadata.

Top HEIC convert apps for iOS

Files app

The iPhone or iPad consists of a built-in app that helps you convert your HEIC files to other widely used formats without using any third-party apps. All you need to do is just create the new folder and paste the HEIC images in that folder

Change the camera settings in iOS device

If you are using the earlier version then the best way to convert HEIC images to JPG is using settings. Just open the settings on your device>tap on camera> tap on formats> and select the “most compatible option for JPG format.

Luma: Convert HEIC to JPG

Luma -best HEIC converter fro iOS

Luma is one of the great apps for iOS to convert your HEIC images. You can easily convert Images including HEVC videos. It works without any network connection, just download it from the apple play store. You can open single or several images/files at a time and convert them into regular formats without quality loss and preserving the Metadata. It is available free of cost in the App store.

Bottom Line

In this article you can find several tools to convert your HEIC files to widely used formats on different operating systems like Windows, Mac, iOS. You can also convert them on online without installing any software on your device. Go through them and find your best one that works smoothly on your operating system.

I hope now you might know What is HEIC? and how to open HEIC file. If you know any other methods, please share them in the comment section. If you like this article, do me a favor by sharing it with your friends. Please follow whatvwant on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to whatVwant channel on YouTube for regular updates.

What is HEIC & HEIF? How To Open HEIC File-FAQ

How to open HEIC on Windows?

Install or add the HEIF and HEVC extensions for Windows from the Microsoft store.

Is there any software to convert HEIC files?

There are several software to convert HEIC files easily. Few of them are listed above

What is HEIC?

HEIC is a new image format introduced by Apple from iOS 11. It is the high-efficiency image format with .heic or .heiv formats.

Is it possible to convert the HEIC file while transferring?

Yes. But it doesn’t convert completely. Few of them are not compatible formats.

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