Image tools
How to open HEIC files on Windows 11 and 10
Windows needs two extensions from the Microsoft Store to show iPhone photos. One is free, the other costs $0.99. Without paying, you can still get at your photos with a converter, OneDrive or a setting on your iPhone.
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Windows 11 and Windows 10 open HEIC photos from an iPhone once two extensions from the Microsoft Store are installed. HEIF Image Extensions are free. HEVC Video Extensions cost $0.99 in the US store (£0.79 in the UK, checked November 5, 2026). With only one of the two, the Photos app shows no image or an error. If you’d rather not pay, convert the photos to JPG or set your iPhone to save JPG in the first place.
As of November 2026, Windows 11. The steps follow Microsoft’s and Apple’s support pages.
Why Windows can’t open HEIC
HEIC is the iPhone’s photo format, and it has two layers. HEIF is the container that holds the image, a preview and the capture details. The image data inside is compressed with HEVC, a codec from the video world.
Windows doesn’t include an HEVC decoder. Microsoft sells it as a separate extension in the Store. The Store listing for HEIF Image Extensions says so directly. To display images in .heic and .heif files, the HEVC Video Extensions package must be installed as well. Plenty of guides, and even some answers on Microsoft Q&A, only mention the HEIF extension. That alone won’t do it.
What each symptom means
| What you see | What’s usually missing |
|---|---|
| Photos says you need an extension to use this file | HEIF, HEVC or both |
| HEIF Image Extensions are installed, but Photos shows no image | HEVC |
| File Explorer shows an icon instead of a thumbnail | at least one of the two |
| Photoshop or another app says the format isn’t supported | see “Common problems” |
Option 1: Install both extensions
- Open the Microsoft Store from the Start menu.
- Search for “HEIF Image Extensions”. The publisher should be Microsoft and the price “Free”. Install it.
- Search for “HEVC Video Extensions”, again published by Microsoft. It costs $0.99. Buy and install it. You’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account.
- Close the Photos app and open the photo again.
Check the publisher when you search. The Store also lists converters and viewers from other companies under similar names.
To see what’s already installed, go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps on Windows 11, or Settings › Apps › Apps & features on Windows 10. Type “HEVC” or “HEIF” into the search box. Don’t fully trust this list for HEIF. In December 2025, a user on Microsoft Q&A reported that the HEIF extension was missing from it even though it was installed.
Is there a free HEVC extension?
The Store has a second version called “HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer”. It’s meant for PC makers who preinstall it on new machines. The Store lists it at $0, but it doesn’t offer it for purchase to regular customers.
If it already appears under Installed apps, you probably don’t need the paid version. Guides that sideload it onto other PCs aren’t something we’d recommend. Microsoft doesn’t document such a route.
Option 2: Save the photos as JPG
With both extensions in place, you can also save single photos as JPG with built-in apps. Open the photo in Paint, for example, choose “Save as” and pick JPEG as the file type. Depending on the version, the Photos app can do this too. Microsoft rebuilt its viewer and editor in October 2026, so the menus don’t look the same everywhere.
That’s fine for three photos. For a whole vacation, it gets tedious. A converter that handles many files at once saves a lot of clicking. With Convert HEIC to JPG, you drop the photos or an entire folder into the browser window and download the JPGs one by one or as a ZIP. You don’t need the Store or either extension. Your photos stay on your computer. Browsers other than Safari load a decoder from our website once, for the first HEIC file, and the conversion itself runs in your browser.
By default, the tool keeps the capture date, camera and location in the JPG. If you plan to share the photos publicly, open “Settings” and untick “Location” under “Metadata”. If you want to edit the photos and save them several times, use Convert HEIC to PNG instead. PNG doesn’t lose quality when you save it again.
Option 3: No purchase, no converter
Microsoft’s support page lists two more routes.
- OneDrive. Once you upload the photos, Microsoft says the OneDrive website shows them in any browser. That’s enough for viewing. Microsoft doesn’t say clearly whether you can download them as JPG from there. Your photos then also live in the cloud.
- Email them to yourself. Many devices convert HEIC to a more common format when you send photos by email, Microsoft says. You may need to change the camera or photo settings on your phone first.
Free programs such as GIMP read HEIC through their own libraries. According to GIMP, whether that works without the Store extensions depends on how your copy was packaged.
Fix it on the iPhone
Whether your PC gets HEIC or JPG is up to the iPhone. Two settings matter.
- Settings › Apps › Photos. At the bottom, under “Transfer to Mac or PC”, you’ll find “Automatic” and “Keep Originals”. Keep Originals always copies HEIC over a USB cable. Automatic only converts when the iPhone decides the computer can’t handle HEIC. Users in the Apple Community report that HEIC still arrives quite often, especially once the HEIF extension is installed.
- Settings › Camera › Formats. Depending on your iOS version, Camera may sit somewhere else. In that case, find “Formats” through the search field in Settings. Choose “Most Compatible” and the iPhone saves new photos as JPG. They take up more storage. Photos already in your library stay HEIC.
Apple says iCloud Photos keeps images in their original format. Apple doesn’t say which format iCloud for Windows puts on your PC. To get JPG, use iCloud.com. Select the photos there, click the More button, then “More Download Options”. “Most Compatible” gives you JPEG.
Common problems
Renaming the file to .jpg doesn’t help. The extension only changes the name. The file is still HEIC inside, and programs fail on it just the same.
Both extensions are installed, but Photos still shows nothing. First update both extensions and the Photos app in the Store under “Downloads”. If that doesn’t help, go to Settings › Apps › Installed apps, click “…” next to HEVC Video Extensions and choose “Advanced options”. Depending on the app, Windows offers “Repair” and “Reset” there. Then restart the PC.
Photoshop or Bridge won’t open HEIC. On Windows, Adobe apps partly rely on the same extensions. A case on Microsoft Q&A from December 2025 shows this can fail even with both installed. As a workaround, convert the photos to JPG or PNG and edit those.
Online converters and private photos. Many online converters upload your photos to their servers. For vacation pictures, few people mind. For photos of IDs, kids or your home, it’s worth checking where the files go. Press F12 to open your browser’s developer tools and look at the “Network” tab while you convert. With our converter, you’ll only see files loading from fennea.com, such as the decoder your browser fetches for the first HEIC file, and short pings to our Plausible visitor statistics. Your photos never show up there as an upload.