How to Open HEIC Files on Windows, Android and Mac

When a friend emails you a photo and it arrives as an attachment that will not open, there is a good chance the file ends in .heic. This is the photo format iPhones use by default, and it is great for saving storage but lousy for compatibility. This guide walks through the fastest way to open HEIC files on every device, and when it is easier to just convert them.

What makes HEIC hard to open

HEIC is a modern photo format built around the HEVC video compression standard. Apple has used it as the default camera format since iOS 11, which is why you rarely meet HEIC files unless you know iPhone users. Windows, Android apps, email systems and older websites were built long before it, so many of them simply do not recognise the extension and refuse to open the file.

Open HEIC files on Windows 11

Good news for people on recent hardware. Windows 11 version 22H2 and later can open HEIC photos in the built in Microsoft Photos app with a simple double click. Nothing to install. If your copy of Windows 11 is older than that, or the file still will not open, you need two small packages from the Microsoft Store:

• HEIF Image Extensions, which is free and adds HEIC support to Photos and File Explorer thumbnails.
• HEVC Video Extensions, which costs a small fee. It is a video codec despite the name, and it is the part people usually miss.

Some computers can install the package called "HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer" for free. Search the Store for that exact name. If the extensions install and Photos still shows blank tiles, restart the app or the PC once and try again.

Open HEIC files on Android

Most Android phones released in recent years open HEIC photos directly in the Gallery or Google Photos, since Google added support for the format. If your phone still shows an unsupported file error, install a free HEIC viewer app, or convert the photo to JPG on a computer and move it back. For most people the second option is less hassle.

Open HEIC files on Mac and iPhone

Here it just works. On an iPhone, HEIC files are already your native format and open in the Photos app. On a Mac, Apple Preview and Photos open HEIC files without any extensions. The remaining problem is everyone else you share with, which brings us back to converting.

Stopping the problem at the source

Your iPhone can save photos as JPG instead, which is worth doing if you regularly share photos with Windows or email them to people. Go to Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and switch from "High Efficiency" to "Most Compatible". Future photos will be JPG. Photos already on your phone stay HEIC, so you may still need a converter for old ones.

The fastest fix: convert HEIC to JPG in your browser

When you just need a photo to work everywhere right now, conversion is the shortest path. Our HEIC converter runs entirely in your browser, so the photo you are converting is never uploaded and never stored. Drop the file in, tweak the quality if you want, download the JPG, and send it anywhere.