How to Open a HEIC File |  Practical guide

How to Open a HEIC File | Practical guide


The HEIC format is used to save iPhone and iPad photos; find out how to open files of this type on other platforms

HEIC is a media file format used to save photos from your iPhone or iPad’s camera, but it is not always compatible with other platforms. You can then use specific applications or download system extensions to be able to open documents of this type.



An acronym for High Efficiency Image Container, HEIC is a variant of the HEIF format and has several advantages over JPEG, used on Android and other devices. The file maintains high image quality while taking up less space than a JPEG, as well as being able to store multiple photos in one place: this is the case of Live Photos on iPhone.

How to Open HEIC File on Windows

To open a photo in HEIC in windowsyou need to download the “HEIF Image Extension” component from Microsoft Shop. After installation, you can open the file in native system apps, such as Photos:

  1. Access apps.microsoft.com;
  2. Click “Install”;
  3. after downloadopen a HEIC image on your PC.



  4. Microsoft has an extension to open HEIF files on Windows (Image: Screenshot/André Magalhães/Canaltech)

How to Open HEIC File on Android

In the case of Android, you can use applications that support HEIC format to open images, such as Google Photos and the Dropbox:

  1. Tap on the HEIC file;
  2. In the list of apps, select Google Photos;
  3. Look at the picture.

How to Open HEIC File on macOS and iOS

The operating systems of Applelike macOS, iPadOS and iOS, have native compatibility with the HEIC format. Therefore, just open the files in any app to view the photos.

Additionally, there is a setting to override the format and save all iPhone or iPad camera photos in JPEG:

  1. Open the Settings app;
  2. Tap “Camera”;
  3. Select “Format”;
  4. Switch from HEIC to JPEG.

It’s worth mentioning that if you send a photo via Whatsappfor example, the app itself automatically changes the format to JPG or PNG – the exception occurs when you send the file as a document within Messenger, which preserves the original format.

Finally, you may know other ways to do it convert HEIC files to JPEG.

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Source: Terra

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