How to convert HEIC to PNG online
- 1
Drop your HEIC file
Drag your High Efficiency Image Container file onto the box above, or click it to pick a file.
- 2
Wait a few seconds
Conversion starts on its own and runs on your device, not on a server.
- 3
Download your PNG
Click Download to save the Portable Network Graphics file.
Watch it done (20 seconds)
The exact steps above, on a real file — from drop to download, with nothing uploaded.
HEIC vs PNG: format overview
High Efficiency Image Container
Apple (based on MPEG HEIF/ISO spec) · 2017
- Compression
- lossy
- Color depth
- 12-bit
- Transparency
- Yes
- ✓ 50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality
- ✓ Supports 16-bit depth and HDR
- ✗ Poor browser support
Portable Network Graphics
PNG Development Group (Thomas Boutell) · 1996
- Compression
- lossless
- Color depth
- 16-bit
- Transparency
- Yes
- ✓ Lossless compression — pixel-perfect quality
- ✓ Full alpha transparency (8-bit alpha channel)
HEIC magic bytes: 00 00 00 18 66 74 79 70 68 65 69 63
PNG magic bytes: 89 50 4E 47 0D 0A 1A 0A
Why convert HEIC to PNG?
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default. On Apple devices you never notice. Elsewhere you do: on Windows, a .heic file only opens after you install two Microsoft Store add-ons — HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions. Many upload forms, older editors and online tools reject HEIC outright.
PNG opens everywhere — every browser, every operating system and every image editor, with nothing to install.
PNG is lossless, so it keeps all the detail the HEIC holds. The trade-off is size: PNG files are much bigger than HEIC. If you just need a photo that opens anywhere and a smaller file matters, HEIC to JPG is the better pick.
Common reasons to convert HEIC to PNG:
- ›A website or portal rejects your iPhone photo
- ›Editing a photo in an app that can't open HEIC
- ›Sending photos to someone on Windows or Android
- ›Keeping full detail for editing, where JPG would add compression
Quality & file size: HEIC to PNG
The PNG keeps the photo's full resolution. In our test, a 4032 × 3024 (12-megapixel) iPhone-size HEIC came out as a 4032 × 3024 PNG in about 3 seconds.
PNG is lossless, so no new compression is added. It can't add back detail that HEIC compression already removed.
Expect a much bigger file. In the same test, a 326 KB HEIC became a 7.9 MB PNG. Photos with more texture and fine detail get even bigger. If size matters, convert HEIC to JPG instead.
On the free tier, PNG output has a repeating formatdrop.com watermark. Pro output doesn't.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert HEIC to PNG on Windows 11?
How do I convert HEIC to PNG on a Mac?
Can I convert a lot of HEIC photos to PNG at once?
Should I convert HEIC to PNG or JPG?
Why does my iPhone save photos as HEIC?
Will the PNG be the same resolution as my photo?
Does the PNG keep the photo's date and location?
What happens to a Live Photo?
Is my photo uploaded to your server?
Your HEIC file never leaves this tab — FormatDrop has no endpoint that receives file data. How it works