HEIC to PNG Converter
Convert iPhone HEIC photos to lossless PNG — no re-compression artefacts, ready for editing.
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PNG or JPG? It Depends on What Happens Next
HEIC is a lossy format, so the photo has already lost some information before you touch it. Converting to PNG stores what remains without discarding anything further; converting to JPG runs it through a second lossy encoder.
That makes PNG the right choice when the photo is going to be edited— retouched, cropped, colour-corrected, composited, or saved repeatedly. Each JPG save compounds damage, and PNG stops that chain.
It is the wrong choice for sharing and uploading. PNG is designed for graphics with flat colour, not photographs, so a phone photo saved as PNG is typically five to ten times larger than the same image as a high-quality JPG that looks identical. For email, messaging, and web upload, use HEIC to JPG instead.
Why iPhones Produce HEIC at All
Apple switched the default camera format in iOS 11. HEIC stores roughly the same visual quality as JPG in about half the space, which adds up quickly across a photo library. It also supports features JPG never had: 10-bit colour depth, transparency, image sequences for Live Photos, and depth maps for Portrait mode.
The trade is compatibility. Windows needs a codec extension, older Android builds cannot open it, and a great many web upload forms reject the extension outright — which is why so many people meet HEIC only when something refuses to accept their photo.
If you would rather not deal with it at all, iPhone Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible switches future photos back to JPG.
Technical notes
- Decoder: a WebAssembly HEIC decoder, with a fallback to the browser’s native decoding on Safari
- Output: 8-bit PNG with lossless compression
- Colour depth: HEIC can store 10 bits per channel; PNG output here is 8-bit, which is what browsers and most editors expect
- Live Photos: only the still frame is converted — the motion component is discarded
- EXIF: camera, date, and GPS metadata are not carried into the PNG, which is a privacy benefit if you are about to share the file
- Batch: multiple photos convert in one pass, one after another
Getting HEIC Files Off an iPhone Without Silent Conversion
How the photos leave the phone changes what you receive, which causes a lot of confusion.
AirDrop to a Mac preserves HEIC. Emailing from the Photos app usually converts to JPEG automatically. Uploading to most websites converts too. Plugging into a Windows PC and copying from the DCIM folder gives you the original HEIC files, which is why that route is the one that produces files Windows then refuses to open.
iCloud Photos adds another wrinkle: downloading from icloud.com gives you JPEG by default, while syncing to a Mac keeps HEIC. If you specifically want the untouched originals, iPhone Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Keep Originals stops the automatic conversion.
FAQ
Why is the PNG so much bigger than the HEIC?
Because PNG is lossless and HEIC is not. PNG stores every pixel exactly, while HEIC threw away detail to save space. A ten-fold size increase is normal and does not mean anything went wrong.
Does converting to PNG improve the photo?
No. It preserves what is there without adding new damage, but the detail HEIC discarded is gone permanently. PNG protects the image from further loss rather than restoring anything.
Should I use PNG or JPG for my iPhone photos?
PNG if you are going to edit them. JPG if you are going to send or upload them. Using PNG for sharing means files several times larger for no visible benefit.
Is the location data removed?
Yes. EXIF metadata, including GPS coordinates, is not carried into the PNG. If you specifically want to keep it, the EXIF viewer can show you what the original held.
Can I convert a whole folder at once?
You can select or drop many files together and they convert one after another. Each result gets its own download button.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Decoding and encoding happen entirely in your browser, which matters more than usual for personal photos.
Why did some of my photos arrive as JPEG already?
iOS converts automatically on several paths — email, most web uploads, and iCloud web downloads. Copying directly from the DCIM folder is the route that preserves the original HEIC.
Can I stop my iPhone producing HEIC at all?
Yes. Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible switches the camera to JPEG for future photos. Existing photos are unaffected.
Can Windows open HEIC without converting?
Only with the HEIF Image Extensions package from the Microsoft Store, and on some systems the video component is a separate paid extension. Converting avoids the dependency entirely.
Does the conversion change the photo dimensions?
No. Width and height are preserved exactly; only the encoding changes.
Does PNG support the wide colour of an iPhone photo?
Recent iPhones capture in the Display P3 colour space, and the PNG output here is standard 8-bit sRGB. For ordinary viewing and editing the difference is negligible, but colour-critical work should keep the HEIC original.
Which is better for printing, PNG or JPG?
Either works, since print services accept both. PNG avoids adding compression artefacts, which matters if the photo will be enlarged; JPG produces a far smaller upload for the same visible result.
⚠️ Reference Only
Output is generated based on your input and is provided for reference. Results may vary depending on your specific use case, edge cases, or environment-specific behavior. We do not guarantee accuracy of conversions, validations, or computed values.
Always verify critical outputs against official documentation or production environments. We are not responsible for any decisions or losses based on these tool results.