How to Open HEIC Files on Windows

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's implementation of the HEIF standard. Instead of JPEG compression, it stores images using HEVC — the H.265 video codec — which typically produces files around half the size of an equivalent-quality JPEG. Apple made it the default camera format in iOS 11 back in 2017, so nearly every photo taken on a modern iPhone is a HEIC file unless the owner changed a setting.

The catch is licensing. HEVC is covered by patent pools, and decoding it requires a licensed codec. Microsoft chose not to absorb that cost for every Windows install, so HEVC decoding ships as a separate Microsoft Store add-on — and the official one costs money. That single licensing decision is the reason your photos won't open.

Windows 10 (version 1809 and later) and Windows 11 can open HEIC natively in the Photos app once two Store extensions are installed. One is free, one usually isn't:

• HEIF Image Extensions — free. This handles the container format itself.
• HEVC Video Extensions — paid (US $0.99). This is the actual H.265 decoder, and it's the piece most people are missing.
• Some PCs ship with 'HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer' preinstalled — a free variant OEMs bundle with hardware. If your machine has it, HEIC files may already open fine.

Once both are installed, HEIC files get thumbnails in File Explorer and open in the Photos app like any other image. This is the cleanest fix if you regularly work with HEIC files on one machine and don't mind the one-time purchase.

If you'd rather not pay for a codec, several reputable free applications bundle their own HEIC decoder:

• CopyTrans HEIC for Windows — free for personal use; adds HEIC support to Windows Photo Viewer and lets you right-click any HEIC file to convert it to JPEG. It even enables HEIC printing and inserting into Microsoft Office.
• IrfanView — the long-standing free image viewer opens HEIC when its plugin pack is installed.
• XnView MP — free for private use, opens HEIC alongside 500+ other formats and can batch-convert.

These work well, but they're per-machine installs. They don't help when you're on a work laptop where you can't install software, or when you need to send the photos to someone else who will hit the same wall.

If the goal isn't really 'view this file on this PC' but 'make these photos usable anywhere' — email, old software, a client's machine, a web upload form that rejects HEIC — converting to JPG is the durable fix. JPEG opens on effectively every device made in the last 25 years.

1. 1

   Open the FileMorf HEIC to JPG converter

   It runs entirely in your browser — no account, no software install, and your photos never upload to a server.

2. 2

   Drop in your HEIC files

   You can select multiple photos at once. Decoding happens locally using your own machine's processor.

3. 3

   Download the JPGs

   Grab files individually or as a single ZIP for batches. Originals on your disk are untouched.

If the HEIC files keep coming from your own iPhone, two settings fix this at the source:

• Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible: the camera captures JPEG instead of HEIC from then on. Files will be roughly twice as large, but universally compatible.
• Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic: keeps HEIC on the phone (saving storage) but converts to JPEG automatically when you transfer via USB. This is the best-of-both option for most people.

Note that the transfer setting only applies to USB transfers. Photos shared via cloud drives, Slack, or AirDrop-style tools usually arrive as the original HEIC.