Guide
How to open HEIC files on Windows
There are three ways out of this, and which one is right depends on whether you have this problem once or every week.
1. Convert the photos (best for a one-off)
If you have a folder of photos that need to work right now, convert them to JPG and the problem is over. Nothing is installed and nothing is uploaded — the conversion happens in your browser. This is also the only option that helps when you need to send the photos to somebody else, since it fixes the files rather than only your own PC.
2. Install Microsoft's HEIF extension (best if this keeps happening)
Windows can read HEIC once the right extension is installed. Search the Microsoft Store for “HEIF Image Extensions”. On many systems you also need “HEVC Video Extensions” for the underlying compression, and that one is sometimes a paid item.
This teaches your PC to open HEIC directly, which is ideal if you receive iPhone photos regularly. It does not help anyone else you forward the files to, and it does not help with websites that reject HEIC uploads.
3. Change the iPhone setting (best for preventing it)
On the iPhone, open Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. From then on the camera saves JPG rather than HEIC. Photos already taken are unaffected, and you lose the storage saving, but you will not hit this problem again.
Which should you pick?
- Photos needed right now, or being sent to someone else → convert.
- You receive iPhone photos often on this PC → install the extension.
- They are your own photos and you would rather avoid this entirely → change the camera setting, and convert the backlog once.