.heic

File format · Released 2015 · By MPEG (Apple adopted 2017)

About HEIC Files

HEIC Image

HEIC is the default photo format on Apple devices since iOS 11. It offers roughly 50% better compression than JPEG at similar quality but has limited support outside the Apple ecosystem.

Family

Raster & Vector Images

Extension

.heic

MIME Type

image/heic, image/heif

Can Use As

Input

● Hex Magic-Bytes Signature (Offset 0x00) ISOBMFF (MPEG-H Part 12)

00 00 00 18 66 74 79 70 68 65 69 63 ASCII: ....ftypheic

Convert HEIC → JPG → 9+ CONVERSIONS ↓

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📏 Physical Size (CM / MM / Inch → 300 DPI Pixels)

Width ()

Height ()

Unit

Print Density (DPI)

Passport & ID Presets:

📈 Target Minimum File Size (Guaranteed ≥ KB)

Lossless JPEG Q100 + standard COM segment padding for government & exam portals

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The story

HOW HEIC CAME TO BE.

2015

2017

HEIC — High Efficiency Image Container — is Apple's filename for HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format), a 2015 specification from the same MPEG group that gave us HEVC video. When Apple shipped iOS 11 in 2017, iPhones defaulted to HEIC for new photos, cutting photo library sizes roughly in half overnight.

Technically HEIC is a container: it wraps HEVC-compressed image frames along with depth maps, live-photo video, burst bursts, and auxiliary data. A single HEIC file can hold a still image, its thumbnail, a short 3-second video (Live Photo), depth information for portrait mode, and EXIF metadata — all with roughly half the file size of the equivalent JPEG.

ISO / MIME SPECS

Technical Specifications

MIME type: image/heic
Compression: HEVC (H.265) intra-frame
Color depth: 8, 10, or 12 bits per channel
Container: HEIF (ISO/IEC 23008-12)
Transparency: Supported
Max dimensions: 8,192 × 4,320 (practical)

Typical Sizes & Weights

iPhone photo (12 MP)

1.5–3 MB (half of JPEG)

Live Photo with 3s video

3–6 MB

Portrait mode with depth map

2–4 MB

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS.

Strengths

Roughly 50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent visual quality.
10- and 12-bit color depth supports HDR photography.
Container format holds depth, Live Photo, bursts, and thumbnails in one file.
Supports transparency and multi-image sequences.
Built into iOS, macOS, and most modern Samsung and Google flagships.

Limitations

Patent-encumbered (HEVC) — Windows users must buy a $0.99 codec pack from the Microsoft Store.
Not supported by most web browsers or older image editors.
Sharing to non-Apple platforms usually auto-converts to JPEG, losing metadata.
Hardware decoding required for smooth performance; software decoding is CPU-heavy.

CURIOSITIES & TRIVIA.

One HEIC file can contain a still photo, depth map, and 3-second Live Photo video together.

HEIC uses the same codec (HEVC/H.265) that Blu-ray 4K discs use for video.

Apple iPhones shoot HEIC by default but silently transcode to JPEG when you share to a non-Apple device.

HEIC supports 10-bit color depth — useful for HDR photography.

Royalties on HEVC patents caused Android, Windows, and Linux to delay HEIC support for years.

STUDIO TOOLS FOR HEIC

Specialized Utilities for .HEIC Files

View all 45 tools →

convert →

HEIC to JPG for Windows

Convert iPhone HEIC photos to JPG format that works on Windows, Android, and any device. Batch conversion supported for entire photo libraries.

compress →

Compress Image to 20KB

Compress signature scans, stamp images, and ID photos to strictly ≤ 20 KB (20,000 bytes) for strict online exam and government application portals using binary-search JPEG quantization.

compress →

Compress Image to 50KB

Compress JPG, PNG, or WebP photos to strictly under 50 KB (50,000 bytes) for passport portals, university admissions, civil service forms, and KYC uploads without changing pixel dimensions.

optimize →

EXIF Metadata Remover

Strip hidden GPS coordinates, camera serial numbers, timestamps, and XMP/IPTC metadata from JPG, PNG, WebP, and TIFF photos before sharing online.

resize →

Resize Image

Resize images to exact dimensions or scale by percentage. Lock aspect ratio to prevent distortion. Supports all common image formats.

resize →

Crop Image & Photo Resizer

Crop and resize JPG, PNG, WEBP, and AVIF images to exact pixel dimensions, social media aspect ratios, or custom print DPI online for free.

CONVERT FROM HEIC

heic jpg heic png heic webp heic avif heic gif heic bmp heic tiff heic ico heic pdf

Common Use Cases

iPhone and iPad photos, Apple ecosystem image storage.