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File Format

HEIC (.heic)

High Efficiency Image Container — Apple's modern iPhone photo format. Stores photos at half the file size of JPG with superior quality using HEVC compression.

Extension
.heic
MIME Type
image/heic

Last updated

Overview

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the file format iPhone uses to store photos, introduced with iOS 11 in 2017. It uses the HEVC (H.265) image compression algorithm wrapped in the ISOBMFF container, achieving roughly half the file size of a JPEG at equivalent or better visual quality. An iPhone 15 photo in HEIC averages 3–5 MB; the same image in JPG would be 6–10 MB.

HEIC is technically a profile of HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format), a standard developed by the MPEG group. It can store multiple images, image sequences (like Live Photos), depth maps, and HDR metadata in a single file. Apple uses HEIC by default because it dramatically extends iPhone storage.

Common Uses

  • iPhone photography — default photo format on all iPhones running iOS 11 or later
  • Live Photos — HEIC stores the still image and motion video components of a Live Photo together
  • Burst shots — multiple exposures stored efficiently in a single HEIC container
  • Portrait mode — depth map data for background blur stored alongside the main image

Advantages

  • 50% smaller than JPG — HEVC compression is dramatically more efficient than JPEG's DCT algorithm
  • Better quality — retains more detail and fewer artefacts than JPG at equivalent file sizes
  • Multi-frame support — stores animated images, burst sequences, and image collections in one file
  • HDR support — preserves full HDR data from iPhone cameras with Dolby Vision/HDR10 compatibility

Limitations

  • Limited Windows support — Windows 10/11 requires the "HEIF Image Extensions" and "HEVC Video Extensions" from the Microsoft Store (paid, ~$1)
  • Not web-compatible — browsers do not render HEIC natively; must convert to JPG/WebP for web use
  • Patent-encumbered — HEVC codec requires royalty payments, limiting free software support
  • Editing software gaps — older versions of Lightroom, Photoshop, and GIMP do not support HEIC

Supported Software

  • macOS/iOS: Preview, Photos, Safari (native)
  • Windows: Photos app (with HEIF Extensions), IrfanView, Adobe Camera Raw
  • Cross-platform: GIMP 2.10+, Darktable, Affinity Photo
  • Conversion: iMazing HEIC Converter (free), FixFile.online Compress Image tool

Tools for HEIC files