What Is HEIC? The iPhone Photo Format Explained

If you’ve ever transferred photos from an iPhone to your computer, you may have noticed files ending in .HEIC instead of the familiar .JPG.

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple’s default photo format starting with iOS 11.

WHY HEIC?
- Smaller file sizes: Photos take up about half the space of a JPEG.
- Better quality: HEIC supports higher color depth and even multiple images in one file (like Live Photos).
- Modern standard: Based on HEIF, a format designed to replace JPEG.

THE DOWNSIDES
- Compatibility issues: Older Windows PCs and some websites may not support HEIC.
- Conversion needed: To share or upload to certain platforms, you may need to convert HEIC to JPEG or PNG.

HOW TO WORK WITH HEIC
- On iPhone, you can switch to JPEG under Settings → Camera → Formats.
- On most computers, you can convert HEIC files using built-in tools or online converters like Photo Converter Hub.