Format at a glance
- Full name
- High Efficiency Image Container
- File extensions
- .heic
- MIME types
- image/heic
- Category
- Images
- Compression
- Lossless and lossy
- Transparency
- Depends on the content
- Animation
- Depends on the content
- Properties
- Alpha channel, Image sequences, Color profiles
Suitable tools
What is this format?
HEIC commonly refers to a HEIF container whose primary images are encoded with HEVC. Unlike a simple single-image raster file, the container can also hold image sequences, thumbnails, depth data, alpha data and metadata.
A program needs both HEIF container support and a decoder for the contained image coding. This is why a file can work on one operating system but fail in another application.
What is it used for?
- Photos captured by iPhone and iPad
- Live Photo image components and image sequences
- Efficient high-resolution photo storage
- Photos carrying depth, orientation or camera metadata
Which programs can open it?
- Apple Photos and Preview on current Apple systems
- Windows Photos with the required HEIF and, when applicable, HEVC extensions
- Applications based on libheif, such as compatible builds of GIMP or ImageMagick
- LocalFileLab through its bundled local HEIC decoding path
Support across devices and browsers
Support may require Microsoft HEIF Image Extensions and a compatible HEVC component.
Current macOS versions open common iPhone HEIC photos natively.
Support depends on installed libheif-based viewers or codecs.
Recent Android versions can decode common HEIC photos, but app support varies.
HEIC is natively supported and commonly produced by the Camera app.
Direct browser display is inconsistent; LocalFileLab uses heic2any instead of relying only on the browser image decoder.
Advantages
- Efficient photo compression
- Container can retain multiple related images and rich metadata
- Native fit for modern Apple photo workflows
Disadvantages
- Compatibility is less universal than JPEG
- HEVC-related support can depend on licensed system components
- Conversions may flatten sequences or discard depth and auxiliary images
Comparison with alternatives
JPEG is more compatible; HEIC can store photos more efficiently and carry richer container data.
Both use modern image containers; AVIF uses AV1 image coding and is more web-oriented.
PNG is lossless and ideal for graphics; HEIC is aimed primarily at compact photographic storage.
LocalFileLab support
Decoded locally with heic2any and converted to a browser-readable raster for further processing.
HEIC is not currently offered as an output format.
The image can be decoded and recompressed to WebP, JPEG or PNG; auxiliary HEIC items are not preserved.
A preview is created from the decoded primary image.
HEIC container metadata, image sequences and depth data are not guaranteed to survive conversion.
Related formats
Frequently asked questions
Why can Windows not open my HEIC file?
Windows may be missing the HEIF container extension or the decoder required for the contained HEVC image.
Is HEIC the same as HEIF?
HEIF is the container standard. HEIC is a widely used extension for HEIF files that commonly contain HEVC-coded images.
Does converting HEIC to JPEG keep every item?
No. A JPEG represents one flattened image and cannot retain HEIC image sequences, depth maps or all auxiliary data.