How to Open iPhone HEIC Photos on Windows Without the Hassle

HEIC has been the iPhone's default photo format since iOS 11. With HEVC compression, a single HEIC photo can be half the size of a JPG at the same quality — Apple uses it to save storage. The catch: Windows 10/11, older Android, and many websites can't open it natively.

Why Won't HEIC Open on Windows?

Windows doesn't ship a HEVC decoder by default because of licensing. Without a paid codec from the Microsoft Store, Explorer just shows an empty icon. Even when installed, apps like older Photoshop or lightweight viewers still fail.

The Fix: Convert HEIC to JPG/PNG in Your Browser

Instead of installing a codec, convert once to universal JPG. With FORMATTO, just drag in up to 50 HEIC photos at once, pick JPG or PNG, and download the results as a ZIP. Everything is processed locally via the libheif WASM decoder + Canvas on your device — files are never uploaded, so your private photos stay private.

• Drag HEIC photos into the upload box (batch up to 50 files).
• Pick JPG output for maximum compatibility, or PNG if you need transparency.
• Set quality 85-90 for results nearly identical to the original HEIC.
• Click convert and download. Close the tab and files vanish without a trace.

Tip: If your HEIC photo is a Live Photo (short video), the converter takes the main frame. For full video, use a dedicated video converter later.