What is a .heic file type

HEIC was released two years later and stood for High Efficiency Image Container.

In contrast to its ancestor, this file type can include multimedia data: images, videos, and audio. It also contains the traceable history of changes, so the user can easily roll back to the previous version if something goes wrong.

This format was meant to eventually replace JPEG, the most popular image extension. But it's unlikely to happen soon due to compatibility issues.

HEIC advantages and disadvantages

To summarize, here are the pros and cons of this format:

  • pro: HEIC files take about two times less space than JPEG;
  • pro: They can contain multiple images and other data, not only one picture;
  • pro: While being more compact, they still offer the same or even higher image quality;
  • pro: This type of file also includes essential metadata;
  • con: HEIC is not compatible with the majority of non-Apple devices, software, and platforms as of now.

How to open HEIC file

If you are not an Apple user, there are several ways to open a HEIC photo on a non-Apple device.

  1. If your OS is Windows 10 or 11, you can install a .heic extension from Microsoft Store. Just insert "HEIF Image Extensions" in the search and download it for free.

    2. Important! This tool works only for images, if you want to work with videos as well, you'll need an HEVC Video Extensions package. It costs only a dollar.

  2. If you have another OS, you can just convert HEIC to PNG or any other format. There are many online HEIC converters, or you can install a conversion tool you like.

    3. Lifehack! Some messengers automatically convert HEIC to JPG, for example, Telegram. Just send the image to yourself and download it in a new format.

Did you know that you don't really need to open or convert a HEIC file to work with it? If you get such images for your, say, photo slideshow video, you can still use them. Online video editors are compatible with dozens of formats. So just upload the photos, and you can edit them to the tool you prefer to make a slideshow or any other project online.

And the last piece of advice: if you have a modern iPhone, it takes pictures in HEIC by default, which may cause problems when sharing photos with your friends. But there is a workaround: go to "Settings", find "Camera" and "Formats", and choose the "Most Compatible" option. Now all your images will be saved in JPEG by default!