Client-side
Convert HEIC
on this device.
A browser decoder for iPhone stills. JPEG, PNG or one PDF. Nothing is uploaded.
Drop HEIC stills
One or more .heic or .heif files. Not JPEG, PDF, or Live Photo video.
Decoded in this tab. The photo does not leave this device.
Output
- JPEGsmaller copy
- PNGlossless
- PDFselected stills
- No upload
- No account
- No server decode
Files
Packed on this device. Live Photo video is not included.
What is a HEIC file, and why convert it?
HEIC is the still-image format iPhones have written by default since iOS 11 in 2017. It is Apple’s wrapper around HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File format. It exists for a good reason. A HEIC photo is usually noticeably smaller than the same photo as a JPEG, so a camera roll full of bursts and 4K stills takes up less space on the phone and in iCloud.
The catch is compatibility. JPEG has been the web’s default photo
format for decades, and a great deal of software still expects it.
Windows needs extra codecs installed before Explorer or Photos will
preview HEIC. Upload boxes on government portals, insurers, job
applications and older websites often check the file extension and
simply refuse .heic. Converting a JPEG or PNG copy is
the quickest fix. This converter runs in your browser, so you get
that copy without installing software or handing the photo to a
stranger’s server.
How this converter works
-
Drop the files. Drag one or more
.heicor.heifstills into the box above, or use Choose files. A batch copied from a phone over USB, downloaded from iCloud, or sitting in your Downloads folder all work. - Decoding happens on this device. The page loads an open-source decoder (libheif, compiled to WebAssembly) and turns each HEIC into pixels in your browser’s memory. Files are processed one at a time so a big batch does not overwhelm the browser. Nothing is transmitted.
- Download the copies you need. Each converted photo offers a JPEG (smaller, with a quality slider) and a PNG (lossless, often larger). Tick the photos a form needs and you can also download a single A4 PDF built on this device.
Because everything runs locally, the converter keeps working offline once the page and decoder have loaded. Closing the tab discards everything that has not been downloaded.
Frequently asked questions
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. The HEIC file is decoded on your device with WebAssembly, and the JPEG, PNG or PDF is built in the same browser tab. The photo never travels to this site’s servers. Ordinary page requests for HTML, CSS and JavaScript appear in hosting logs like on any website. Those are program files, not your pictures. The privacy page spells this out in full.
Why can’t Windows open my iPhone photos?
Windows only opens HEIC after you install Microsoft’s HEIF Image Extensions, and some PCs also need an HEVC codec. That is fine if you preview HEIC files every day. It is overkill if you just need one attachment. Converting a JPEG copy in the browser avoids installing anything. See the Windows guide for the details.
Does converting reduce the quality of my photo?
JPEG is a lossy format, so the JPEG copy discards a little detail. The quality slider controls how much. At the default 92% the difference is rarely visible for ordinary photos. PNG is lossless and keeps every pixel of the decoded still, at the cost of a larger file. Your original HEIC is never changed. The converter only makes copies.
What happens to the photo’s metadata, such as location?
The converted copy is re-encoded from decoded pixels, so EXIF metadata is not copied into the JPEG or PNG. That includes capture date, camera settings and GPS location. Keep the original HEIC if you need that metadata. If you would rather not share where a photo was taken, the converted copy is a reasonable file to upload.
Can I convert Live Photos?
Only the still image is decoded. The short video clip attached to a Live Photo is not part of the HEIC still this tool reads, so it is omitted from the JPEG, PNG and PDF.
Is there a limit on how many files I can convert?
There is no fixed count. Files are converted one at a time so a large batch does not exhaust browser memory. Very large images such as panoramas are decoded in memory and can be slow on modest hardware.
Which browsers does this work in?
Any current browser with WebAssembly: Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Once the page and the decoder have loaded, conversion also works offline.
| Browser | Converts HEIC here | Opens HEIC natively |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Yes (current versions) | No |
| Edge | Yes (current versions) | Only with Windows codecs installed |
| Firefox | Yes (current versions) | No |
| Safari | Yes (current versions) | Yes, on macOS and iOS |
“Opens HEIC natively” means viewing the original file without this
converter. Even where that works, many upload boxes still reject
.heic, which is why the JPEG copy exists.
Why are there advertisements on a free tool?
Advertising through Google AdSense pays for the hosting so the converter can stay free, with no account and no upload. The ad network receives ordinary page-visit information, as described on the privacy page. It does not receive the photos you drop. There is more background on the about page.