If yous try to open a HEIC file on your Windows PC, you lot will find that your motorcar says the file format is not supported. That happens because Windows does non back up this new image format that Apple uses on its latest iOS devices.

Apple introduced this new HEIC image format on its iPhone and iPad devices, starting with iOS xi. While this format opens just fine on your Apple tree device, it won't necessarily open that easily on other machines, including your Windows PC.

Luckily, you lot have some third-party methods to add support for and view HEIC files on your Windows figurer. Here we take a look at some of those options.

1. Open HEIC on Windows Using CopyTrans

CopyTrans HEIC for Windows is a completely free tool (for personal use) that adds support for HEIC files to your Windows machine. Information technology actually adds native support for this file format which means y'all tin view HEIC in your existing image viewer after installing this tool.

Your HEIC photos will open just like your other photos in Windows Photograph Viewer once you've installed this tiny app.

Here's how you become the app and use it on your PC:

  1. Caput to the CopyTrans HEIC for Windows site and download and install the tool on your computer.
  2. Right-click on one of your HEIC photos and select Properties.
  3. Make sure you're in the Full general tab, and so click Change.
    Set a HEIC viewer
  4. Select Windows Photo Viewer as the default tool to open your HEIC photos.
  5. Click Utilize followed by OK at the lesser.
  6. Double-click on whatever of your HEIC files and they'll natively open in the Windows Photo Viewer.

One good aspect of this tool is that information technology lets you convert your HEIC photos to the widely recognized JPEG format. Yous can perform this conversion with ease from your context carte du jour.

Convert HEIC to JPG from the context menu

To catechumen an image, select your HEIC photos in File Explorer, right-click on whatsoever one photo, and select Convert to JPEG with CopyTrans. The tool will convert and save the resulting photos in the same folder as your original photos.

Your original photos remain intact.

two. Convert HEIC to JPEG Online

Another manner to open HEIC photos on your Windows machine is to convert your photos to a compatible format on the web. At that place are many free online tools to assistance you upload your HEIC photos, edit them if you desire, and convert them to a popular format like PNG or JPEG.

Convert HEIC to JPG online

HEIC to JPEG is one of these online tools to perform the conversion. Here's how it works.

  1. Open the HEIC to JPEG site in your browser.
  2. Elevate all your HEIC photos that you want to convert to JPEG over to the box on the site. It supports a maximum of five photos at a fourth dimension.
  3. The tool will get-go converting your files once the files are uploaded.
  4. Download the resulting JPEG files to your Windows calculator.

iii. Catechumen HEIC to JPEG Offline on Windows

Online conversion tools are ideal if you are only looking to convert a handful of HEIC files. If you have several photos to catechumen, an offline tool is quicker and more than user-friendly.

iMazing HEIC Converter is a free offline solution to convert your HEIC photos to JPEG or PNG format. There are some configurable options as well that you tin utilize while converting your files.

Convert HEIC to JPG offline on Windows

Once the photos are converted, you can open up them in most epitome viewers on your machine. Here's how to perform the conversion:

  1. Download and install the free iMazing HEIC Converter from the Microsoft Store.
  2. Open up the tool, drag the photos that you want to convert, and drop them onto the tool'due south interface.
  3. Select either JPEG or PNG from the Format dropdown menu, tick Keep EXIF data if you lot want to preserve the EXIF data, use the Quality slider to suit the quality for your photos, and finally hit Convert.
  4. Select a folder where yous want to save the converted files and click OK.
  5. One time the photos are converted, click Show Files to view your photos in File Explorer.

four. Employ a Paid Option to Open HEIC on Windows

Microsoft has an official pick to permit you open HEIC photos on your PC, just that option is behind a paywall. You need to buy an app in order to add together native support for HEIC photos to your machine.

Use HEIF Image Extensions to open HEIC on Windows

Until the option becomes free, which I believe it should at one point, you can buy and utilise the app as follows to open HEIC on Windows:

  1. Launch the Microsoft Store, search for HEVC Video Extensions. It'll set you back $0.99.
  2. One time the tool is installed, install another tool called HEIF Prototype Extensions from the aforementioned Store. This ane is free.
  3. When both tools are installed, double-click your HEIC files and they should open.

5. Become Your iPhone or iPad to Produce a Compatible File Format

On your iPhone and iPad, there's actually an option to change what format your photos are saved in. You can change this option then that your device doesn't use HEIC, and that will resolve all of the incompatibility issues you are facing.

Here's how you do that:

  1. Launch the Settings app and tap Camera.
  2. Tap Formats and select Most Uniform.

Your iOS device volition now utilise JPEG for all your camera photos.

In that location's another option to fix this incompatibility issue and that is to get your iOS device to convert your HEIC photos to JPEG when you are transferring the photos. Your device already has this pick and all you need to do is turn it on.

Hither's how you exercise that:

  1. Become to Settings and tap Photos.
  2. Tick Automatic in the Transfer to Mac or PC section. Your iOS device will now e'er transfer uniform photos to your Mac or Windows PC.

Getting Support for HEIC on Your Windows PC

With most iPhones using HEIC as their primary image format, you're naturally going to come beyond many of these files on your PC. With the methods described above, you will be able to open up the HEIC file format without an issue on your Windows computer. Yous tin even catechumen your HEIC photos to other formats if yous prefer to do that.

Apple uses HEIC for photos because information technology provides bully compression while however maintaining the original photo quality. If you are curious, you might exist interested in learning how compression works.

Why HEVC and HEIF Are Great News for Mac and iPhone Users

Apple's move to HEVC and HEIF is going to salvage you lot a ton of space on your devices, particularly if you shoot a lot of video.

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Mahesh Makvana (307 Articles Published)

Mahesh is a tech writer at MakeUseOf. He'due south been writing tech how-to guides for about 8 years now and has covered many topics. He loves to teach people how they can get the most out of their devices.

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