Why iPhones Save Photos as HEIC (and How to Open Them on Windows)

August 30, 2026

What HEIC actually is

Since 2017, iPhones save photos in a format called HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) instead of the older JPEG. HEIC keeps roughly the same visual quality at about half the file size, which is why Apple made it the default: it means more photos fit in the same iCloud storage and take up less space on the phone.

Why that causes problems

The catch is that HEIC support outside Apple's own ecosystem is inconsistent. Windows can open HEIC files in newer versions with the right codec installed, but a lot of older PCs, most web forms, many printing services, and plenty of apps still only accept JPG or PNG. If you've ever tried to upload an iPhone photo somewhere and gotten a "file type not supported" error, HEIC is almost always why.

Two ways to fix it

The first is to stop the problem before it starts: on your iPhone, go to Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and switch from "High Efficiency" to "Most Compatible." New photos will save as JPG automatically, at the cost of a bit more storage space.

The second is for photos you already have. FileWizy's image format converter detects HEIC and HEIF files automatically and converts them to JPG, PNG or WebP right in your browser, no app to install, and you can convert several photos at once and download them together as a .zip.

What about quality?

Converting HEIC to JPG doesn't meaningfully hurt quality for normal use: you're going from one efficient format to another, not degrading a low-quality source. The conversion happens locally on your device, so the original photo never leaves your computer.