You move a photo from your iPhone to a Windows PC and find it has an unfamiliar .HEIC extension that simply won't open. Korean iPhone owners (and plenty of others) hit this constantly — work machines run Windows, family PCs run Windows. This post gives a short explanation of HEIC and lines up five fixes by cost, convenience, and permanence.
What HEIC is
Starting with iOS 11 in 2017, the iPhone camera's default save format switched from JPEG to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Codec). Same quality, half the file size. The "30,000 photos on a 256 GB iPhone" magic is HEIC.
The catch is that HEIC is built on the HEVC (H.265) video codec, and HEVC is patent-bound, so Microsoft does not bundle a free decoder with Windows. Double-clicking a .HEIC file on Windows therefore does nothing.
Method 1 — Convert in the browser (fastest one-off fix)
For one or a few dozen files at a time, this is what we recommend. Our HEIC to JPG converter processes everything in the browser without uploading anything to a server. You're not handing family pictures to an unknown company.
- Cost: free
- Install: none
- Speed: 1–2 seconds per photo
- Privacy: photos never leave your machine
The downside: a single batch is capped (around 20 files). For 100+ photos, run it in batches.
Method 2 — Pay roughly $1 for the Microsoft Store codec
For someone who receives iPhone photos every week or month, this is the cleanest answer. Search the Microsoft Store for "HEVC Video Extensions", buy it for about $1, and Windows Photos will open HEIC on a double-click from then on.
Steps:
- In the Microsoft Store, search "HEVC Video Extensions"
- Buy the official version from Microsoft (about $1)
- Install the free companion "HEIF Image Extensions" too
- Restart Windows Photos — .HEIC files now open natively
One-time install and you're done. The most convenient permanent solution. The catch: you pay again on every new Windows machine.
Method 3 — Change the iPhone setting and shoot JPEG to begin with
Cut off the problem at the source. On the iPhone, choose Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible and the camera saves JPEG instead.
Existing HEIC photos stay as HEIC, but everything taken from now on opens on Windows, Android, and older Macs. The trade-off: file sizes roughly double. A 256 GB iPhone is fine. 128 GB or smaller, you'll feel the storage hit.
Method 4 — Convert on transfer from the iPhone itself
On the iPhone, in Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC, pick "Automatic". When you move photos to a PC the system converts to JPEG on export. The iPhone keeps HEIC internally; the PC sees JPEG.
AirDrop to Windows isn't a thing, so this matters when you sync via cable or a cloud service.
Method 5 — Free desktop apps (CopyTrans HEIC, iMazing HEIC Converter)
There are free Windows apps that, once installed, work permanently. CopyTrans HEIC for Windows, iMazing HEIC Converter, and similar. After install, right-clicking a .HEIC adds a "Convert to JPEG" entry.
Pros: free, permanent, one right-click. Cons: not great if you're cautious about installing software, and corporate PCs may block it under security policy.
The five-method comparison
| Method | Cost | Install | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser converter | Free | None | One-off, work PC, privacy-sensitive |
| Microsoft codec | ~$1 | Once | Receives HEIC weekly/monthly |
| iPhone setting change | Free | None | Plenty of phone storage |
| Convert on iPhone transfer | Free | None | Frequent cable transfers |
| Desktop app | Free | Once | Personal PC, want a permanent fix |
Watch out: rotated photos
HEIC stores rotation as metadata only. Some converters ignore that and produce JPGs that come out rotated 90°. Convert one photo as a test, verify the result, then bulk-convert. Our tool applies the rotation metadata automatically.
What about iPhone Live Photos?
Live Photos are a HEIC + a short MOV video paired together. Most converters keep only the still and drop the video. To preserve the motion, use the Photos app on a Mac and "Export as MP4". Preserving Live Photos as such on Windows is hard.
Wrap-up
For one-shot use, browser converter. For frequent inbound HEIC, install the Microsoft codec. To never see HEIC again, switch the iPhone camera to JPEG. HEIC isn't going away, but its rough edges with Windows are a 5-minute problem to solve.