Open iPhone HEIC Photos on Windows
No paid codec. No install. Nothing uploaded. Just drop and convert.
Drag & drop HEIC files here
or click to browse
The iPhone-to-Windows photo problem
Someone AirDropped or emailed you photos from an iPhone, and Windows refuses to open them. The files end in .HEIC or .HEIF, Photos app shows "this file format isn't supported," and Microsoft wants you to pay for a codec from the Store. Frustrating — especially when you just want to see a photo.
This happens because iPhones have defaulted to the HEIC format since iOS 11. HEIC files are about half the size of JPG at the same quality, which saves iCloud storage, but Windows doesn't support HEIC out of the box.
The fastest fix: convert to JPG in your browser
Drop your HEIC files onto the zone above. HEIC Quick converts them to JPG locally in your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no install, no codec purchase, no admin rights. Works on Windows 10, Windows 11, on any browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox).
Once converted, the JPGs open in Windows Photos, Paint, Office, and literally every other Windows program.
Step by step on Windows
1. Save the HEIC files somewhere you can find them (Downloads folder is fine).
2. Drag them from File Explorer onto the drop zone above. Or click the drop zone and select them.
3. Leave the format as JPEG (the Windows-friendly default).
4. Click Convert. Each file gets processed locally.
5. Click Download on each file to save the converted JPG.
Why not just install Microsoft's HEIC codec?
You can — it's the "HEVC Video Extensions" on the Microsoft Store, costs $0.99, and requires admin rights. But the codec is unreliable on some machines, doesn't help when you need to actually send a JPG to someone else, and doesn't work on older Windows versions. Converting to JPG once solves the problem permanently.
Stop the problem at the source
If you're the iPhone owner and keep sending HEIC photos to Windows friends, switch your camera to save JPG directly: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will save as JPG. Existing HEIC photos stay HEIC — use this converter for those.
Is this safe? Does anything upload?
Nothing uploads. The conversion runs entirely in your browser via a WebAssembly build of libheif. You can verify this by opening your browser's Network tab (F12 → Network) before converting — you'll see zero requests while conversion happens. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads, and it still works. The source code is on GitHub if you want to audit it yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I open HEIC files on Windows?
Windows doesn't include HEIC support by default. Microsoft offers a paid codec on the Store, but it's unreliable. The simplest fix is converting to JPG with a browser-based tool like this one.
Do I need to install anything?
No. HEIC Quick runs entirely in your browser. No codec, no app, no admin rights.
How do I stop my iPhone from saving HEIC?
Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will be JPG. Existing HEIC photos need to be converted.
Does this upload my photos to a server?
No. Everything runs locally via WebAssembly. Check your browser's Network tab to verify.
Other formats
HEIC Quick also converts to PNG (lossless) and WebP (smallest size). Or visit the main converter.