How-to · 5 min read
Windows can open iPhone photos, it just won't do it out of the box. Here are four ways to fix that, from a two-minute install to never seeing a HEIC on your PC again.
Updated
Just want to see the photos? Open this page in Edge, Chrome or Firefox, drop your HEIC files into the converter on this page, and download JPGs. No install, no account, and the photos are converted on your own PC rather than on a server. Got a whole folder from your iPhone? Drag the folder in and download everything as one ZIP.
Try it right here: For Windows
Open full tool →Drop HEIC photos here
HEIC, HEIF · also JPG, PNG, WebP
or paste with Ctrl+V
HEIC photos are compressed with HEVC (H.265). HEVC is covered by patents, and licensing it costs money, so Microsoft doesn't include full support in every copy of Windows. Instead, support comes as add-ons from the Microsoft Store.
The result is that the same HEIC photo might open on one Windows PC and show "This file format is not supported" on another, depending on what's installed.
| Option | Cost | Effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Install Microsoft's extensions | Free plus a small paid add-on | A few minutes, once | Viewing HEIC often |
| 2. Convert to JPG | Free | Seconds per batch | Sharing, editing, uploading |
| 3. Change the iPhone transfer setting | Free | One setting | Importing by cable |
| 4. Use a cloud or web viewer | Free | None | Glancing at a photo |
This teaches Windows itself to read HEIC, so Photos, File Explorer thumbnails and some other apps can open the files.
A few caveats:
The process is the same on both. The main difference tends to be what's preinstalled. Windows 11 machines more often ship with HEIF Image Extensions already present, and some PC makers include HEVC support too. On Windows 10 you're more likely to need both installs. If HEIC opens fine already, you don't need to do anything.
Converting gives you files that open in every Windows app, every website and every email client, with no extensions anywhere.
Because the conversion runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded. After your first visit it even works without an internet connection. If you have hundreds of files, the batch HEIC converter adds pause, resume and retry.
If your HEIC files arrive by USB cable, you can fix this at the source.
With Automatic, the iPhone converts photos to a compatible format such as JPG as they're copied. With Keep Originals, you get HEIC files. Note that this only affects cable transfers. Photos that reach your PC through iCloud, AirDrop to another device, or cloud drives may still be HEIC.
To stop the iPhone creating HEIC files at all, see our iPhone camera settings guide. It covers the storage trade-off too.
If you just need to look at a photo:
These are fine for viewing, but downloading may still give you a HEIC. And uploading private photos to a cloud service is a bigger step than viewing them locally. For a quick look without uploading anything, the HEIC viewer opens files right in your browser.
The HEVC part is usually missing. Install HEVC Video Extensions as well as HEIF Image Extensions, then restart Photos.
Restart Windows Explorer (Task Manager → Windows Explorer → Restart) or reboot. If thumbnails still don't show, the extensions may not be installed for your account.
Some Windows apps ignore the Display P3 colour profile iPhones use. Convert with the sRGB option on to bake the colours in for older software.
Plenty of programs don't use the Windows codecs at all. Convert to JPG or PNG. For Adobe software, there's a dedicated HEIC for Photoshop preset.
If you live in a mixed iPhone and Windows household and look at photos daily, install the extensions and set the iPhone to Automatic for transfers. If you only hit HEIC now and then, convert the files you need and move on. Still stuck? Our HEIC troubleshooting guide covers more situations.
FAQ
HEIC photos are compressed with HEVC, a patented codec that Windows doesn't fully include by default. Without Microsoft's HEIF Image Extensions and usually HEVC Video Extensions, the Photos app shows an error or a blank image.
HEIF Image Extensions is free in the Microsoft Store. HEVC Video Extensions, which HEIC photos also rely on, is usually a small paid add-on. Converting your photos to JPG costs nothing.
Partly. Many Windows 11 PCs come with HEIF Image Extensions already installed, but you may still need HEVC Video Extensions before HEIC photos display. It depends on your PC and what the manufacturer preinstalled.
On the iPhone, go to Settings, then Photos, and set Transfer to Mac or PC to Automatic. Photos imported over a cable will then arrive as JPG.
Once the HEIF and HEVC extensions are installed, File Explorer usually shows thumbnails for HEIC files. If it doesn't, try restarting Explorer or your PC.
Recent versions of Photoshop can open HEIC on Windows when the system HEVC support is installed, but it isn't always reliable. Converting to JPG or PNG first avoids the problem.
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