4 Ways to Open iPhone HEIC Photos on Windows
Published: 2026-10-06
You copy photos from your iPhone to a Windows PC, and every file is named something like IMG_1234.HEIC. Double-clicking does nothing useful. Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos in HEIC by default. The format keeps quality high at roughly half the size of JPG, but Windows and many apps do not support it out of the box.
There are four practical fixes. Which one is best depends on whether you only need to view the photos or also share, upload or edit them.
Option 1. Install the HEIF Image Extensions
On Windows 10 and 11 you can install “HEIF Image Extensions” from the Microsoft Store, and the Photos app will open HEIC files. Some photos also need “HEVC Video Extensions”, which may be a paid download.
This is convenient if you only want to view photos on your own PC. If you send the files to someone else or upload them to a website, they may still not open on the other side.
Option 2. Convert to JPG (the most reliable fix)
If you need to email photos, put them in a document or upload them to a form, converting to JPG is the safest choice. JPG opens on virtually every device and app.
The Bart Tools HEIC to JPG converter works entirely in your browser, so your photos are never uploaded. You can add many photos at once and download them as a ZIP, which helps with big batches such as holiday photos.
- Open the HEIC to JPG converter.
- Drag your .heic files into the box.
- Choose JPG or PNG and a quality level, then click “Convert”.
- Download each photo, or click “Download all (ZIP)”.
Option 3. Let the iPhone convert when you transfer
If you import photos over a USB cable, go to Settings → Apps → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC and choose “Automatic”. Your iPhone will then convert photos to a compatible format (JPG) during the transfer.
This only applies to cable transfers. It may have no effect when you move photos through cloud storage or messaging apps.
Option 4. Save new photos as JPG from the start
In Settings → Camera → Formats, choose “Most Compatible”. New photos will be saved as JPG. The trade-off is that each photo takes more storage. See our guide “How to make your iPhone save photos as JPG” for details.
Which option should you choose?
- Just viewing on your own PC: Option 1
- Sending or uploading photos: Option 2
- Regularly importing over a cable: Option 3
- Plenty of iPhone storage and you never want HEIC again: Option 4