HEIC is the format iPhones save photos in by default. Braandly's image converter reads it and writes a format everything else understands, without uploading your photo anywhere.
What HEIC is, and why it needs converting
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's default photo format on modern iPhones and iPads. It stores a high-quality image in a much smaller file than JPEG, which is why Apple uses it.
The catch is support. Plenty of websites, design tools, and Windows applications cannot open a HEIC file, so you convert it to a format they accept before using it.
Convert a HEIC photo
Open the image converter, add your .heic or .heif file, choose an output format, and download the result. See how to convert image formats for the full walkthrough.
Pick your output based on where the image is going:
| Output | Use it for |
|---|---|
| JPEG | Anywhere. The safest choice for photos, and the smallest for most images |
| PNG | When you need lossless quality or transparency |
| WebP | The web, when you want a smaller file at similar quality |
You can also convert straight to a platform size using Export for platform. See exporting for platforms.
Where HEIC works in Braandly
Support differs by tool, which catches people out:
| Where | HEIC accepted? |
|---|---|
| Image converter | Yes |
| Image compressor | Yes |
| Color extractor | No |
| Color picker | No |
| Brand asset upload | No |
Uploading a HEIC as a brand asset is blocked on purpose. When you try, Braandly offers Open converter so you can convert first and come back with a supported file. Convert to PNG or JPEG, then upload that.
To stop producing HEIC files altogether, change the setting on your iPhone: Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPEG from that point on. Photos already taken stay as HEIC.
Good to know
- You can convert up to 10 files at once.
- Conversion runs on your device, so nothing is uploaded and there is no file size limit. Very large photos take longer, and decoding gives up after about 30 seconds.
- Very large HEIC photos are converted to JPEG rather than PNG when handed to another tool, to keep the file manageable.
- A
.heicfile whose name has been changed to.jpgis still a HEIC file inside. Convert it properly rather than renaming it.
Troubleshooting
Braandly tells you why a HEIC file failed rather than showing a generic error. The common ones:
This is a 10-bit HDR HEIC. HDR HEIC cannot be decoded yet. Change your iPhone to Most Compatible as above, or share the photo as JPEG from Photos.
This looks like a Live Photo or Portrait shot. The file holds several images and the still cannot be picked out reliably. Open the photo in Photos on your device and export a copy, then convert that.
This is a HEIC image sequence. Same fix. Export a single still from Photos first.
This file isn't a HEIC. The name ends in .heic but the contents do not match. It was probably renamed, or the download was cut short. Re-download the original.
This HEIC is incomplete. The file ended earlier than expected, usually a truncated download or transfer. Get a fresh copy and try again.
This HEIC is too large to decode here. Your browser ran out of memory. Close other tabs, convert fewer files at once, and try again.
The HEIC decoder couldn't load. Usually a network hiccup while fetching the decoder. Try again.
This HEIC uses an unsupported codec. Exporting the photo as JPEG from your device will work.
If several photos fail the same way, the quickest fix is on the device rather than in the browser. Open Photos, select the images, and export or share them as JPEG.