Published: October 15, 2026
If you use an iPhone, you have likely experienced the frustration of transferring photos to a Windows PC or an Android phone, only to find you cannot open them. This is because Apple uses HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) as its default format.
HEIC is a variation of the HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) standard. It allows photos to be stored at half the file size of a JPEG without losing quality. This is great for saving storage on your iPhone, but terrible for sharing photos with non-Apple devices.
Windows 10 and 11 do not support HEIC natively without an extension.
Microsoft offers a codec on the Microsoft Store. However, sometimes it costs money ($0.99). Installing this allows the native Photos app to view the files.
Even if you can view the file, you cannot easily upload it to portals, government sites, or older social media forms that require JPG. Converting is the safest bet.
The simplest solution is to use a tool like SwiftConvert.
Q: Does converting reduce quality?
A: HEIC is very high quality. Converting to JPG at 90-100% quality preserves virtually all visible detail.
Q: Can I stop my iPhone from taking HEIC photos?
A: Yes. Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose "Most Compatible" to save as JPG by default.