FormatDrop
Image Format

HEIF

High Efficiency Image File Format

HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) is the container standard that holds HEIC images. Think of HEIF as the box and HEIC as what's inside — an image encoded with the HEVC (H.265) video codec. HEIF was standardised by MPEG in 2015 and became the default iPhone photo format in iOS 11. It delivers superior image quality at roughly half the file size of JPEG, supporting wide colour, HDR, transparency, and multi-image sequences.

What is HEIF?

HEIF is a container format based on the ISO Base Media File Format (the same foundation as MP4). It can store a single image, a burst sequence, a live photo (still + motion), or animated image — all in one file. The actual image data is typically encoded with HEVC (producing .heic files) or AV1 (producing .avif files). HEIF supports 16-bit colour depth, wide colour gamut (Display P3), HDR metadata, image depth maps (portrait mode data), and auxiliary images (alpha channels, thumbnails). Apple, Google, and Samsung all use HEIF/HEIC as the default photo capture format on their devices.

HEIF pros and cons

Advantages

  • ~50% smaller files than JPEG at equivalent visual quality
  • Supports 16-bit colour and wide colour gamut (P3, Rec. 2020)
  • HDR and depth map data stored in a single file
  • Live Photos (still + 3-second video) in one HEIF container
  • Animation and burst sequences without multiple files
  • Full alpha channel transparency support

Limitations

  • No native browser support in Chrome or Firefox (Safari only)
  • Requires HEVC patent licences — licensing costs affected adoption
  • Older Windows versions need a paid codec extension ($0.99)
  • Not universally accepted for email, social media, or document workflows
  • Legacy software and many web services still require JPEG conversion
  • AV1-based AVIF is an open-source alternative with growing browser support

When should you convert HEIF files?

Convert HEIF/HEIC to JPG for sharing with Windows users, web upload, email attachments, or any workflow where compatibility is uncertain. iPhone can be configured to auto-convert to JPG when transferring to a computer (Settings → Camera → Formats → 'Most Compatible'). Convert HEIC to PNG when you need transparency or lossless quality. Keep HEIF/HEIC on-device for photo storage — it's the highest quality, most efficient format your iPhone produces. For web delivery, convert to WebP or AVIF instead of JPG when possible.

Convert HEIF files

IMAGE-CONVERTER→

All FormatDrop conversions run entirely in your browser — no file upload, no server processing. Your files stay on your device.

HEIF FAQ

What is the difference between HEIF and HEIC?
HEIF is the container format standard (like how MP4 is a container). HEIC is a specific type of HEIF file that uses HEVC (H.265) as the image codec. So all HEIC files are HEIF, but not all HEIF files are HEIC — HEIF can also contain AV1-encoded images (AVIF), animated images, or multi-frame sequences.
How do I convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone?
Method 1: In Settings → Camera → Formats → select 'Most Compatible' — new photos will capture in JPG. Method 2: Go to Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → 'Automatic' — iPhone auto-converts HEIC to JPG when you connect to a computer. Method 3: Share the photo and AirDrop it to a Mac, where it arrives as JPG. Method 4: Use Files app or iCloud on a non-Apple device — HEIC is often auto-converted to JPG on download.
Can I open HEIF on Android?
Partial support — Google Photos on Android can display HEIC images, but the Gallery or Files app on many Android devices may not. Samsung devices running One UI support HEIC natively. For full compatibility, convert HEIC to JPG using an app like HEIC Converter or Google Photos' 'Download' function (which converts to JPG).
Is HEIF replacing JPEG?
Slowly, but JPG remains dominant. Apple moved to HEIC as the default iPhone format in 2017. Samsung and Google followed. But web, email, and most software still defaults to JPEG. AVIF (HEIF with AV1 codec, royalty-free) is gaining web browser support and may eventually displace both HEIC and JPEG for web use. JPEG will likely persist for decades due to its universal support.

More formats

HEICWebPAVIFEPUBWebMOpusMP3WAVM4AFLACAACMP4AVIMKVMOVJPGPNGGIFSVGTIFFICOBMPEPSARWOGGWMVPPTXPagesPDFDOCXRAWHEVCH.264AIFFM4VWMA3GPDNGRTFPSDOGVTSFLVAIXLSXCSVZIPAPNGMIDIJPEG XLMPG/MPEGVOBM2TSAC3ALACDTSJP2APECBZ3G2SRTDOCPPTXLSODTODSM3URAR7ZM4BAMRTXTMOBITARGZJSONXMLYAMLKEYMTSCR2NEFMXFTGACAFASSVTTDSFRMF4VWVASFRMVBORFRW2EAC-3TTA