HEIC to PNG Converter
Make lossless PNG copies of iPhone photos so you can edit, retouch and layer them without adding compression each time you save. Every pixel of the HEIC is kept at full resolution.
Image Converter
or drop JPG, JPEG, JPE … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
85 keeps photos visually identical to the original. Lower it only when you need a smaller file.
JPG, BMP and EPS have no transparency. Transparent pixels are filled with this color.
Hex color used behind transparent pixels, e.g. #FFFFFF.
This format holds a single image. Choose GIF or WebP output if you want to keep the animation.
A multi-size icon contains several resolutions in one file; browsers and operating systems pick the one they need.
Keep the original dimensions, or enter one side and the aspect ratio is kept.
Pixels for the side you chose above.
Percentage of the original dimensions.
sRGB is right for screens and the web. Keep the original for print workflows; grayscale discards color.
Metadata only, 0 keeps the original value. Printers and some portals read this number; it does not change pixel dimensions.
How to use this tool
- 1
Choose the HEIC photos
Pick .heic or .heif files from your computer, or from the Files app on the phone. Up to 20 photos per batch, 95 MB each.
- 2
Decide on metadata
PNG is lossless, so there is nothing to tune for quality. Under Advanced settings, Strip metadata is on; untick it if the date and location should stay in the file.
- 3
Download the PNGs
Press Convert to PNG. Save the files one by one or as a ZIP; the server deletes everything after 30 minutes.
Choose PNG over JPG for an iPhone photo when you are going to keep working on it. PNG is lossless, so each save in an editor stores exactly the same pixels, while the file itself grows several times larger than the HEIC.
HEIC to PNG converter, free: when PNG beats JPG
Apple switched the iPhone camera to HEIC with iOS 11 in 2017. The container is HEIF, standardized by MPEG as ISO/IEC 23008-12, and the picture inside is compressed with HEVC, the H.265 video codec. That is why HEIC photos are about half the size of comparable JPGs, and also why Windows needs two separate Microsoft Store extensions before it can show them.
Most people who convert HEIC want JPG, the format every phone, inbox and upload form accepts; HEIC to JPG is the page for that. PNG is the better target in a narrower set of cases: a photo you will retouch in several sessions, a frame you will cut out and place on a poster, scans of documents you photographed, or images headed into a layout program that re-saves files. In each case a JPG would lose a little more detail every time it is saved, and a PNG never does.
How large an iPhone photo prints as PNG
| Size | Pixels | cm | in | DPI | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 MP | 4032 × 3024 | 34.1 × 25.6 | 13.4 × 10.1 | 300 | Default on iPhone 14 and earlier |
| 24 MP | 5712 × 4284 | 48.4 × 36.3 | 19.0 × 14.3 | 300 | Default on iPhone 15 and later |
| 48 MP | 8064 × 6048 | 68.3 × 51.2 | 26.9 × 20.2 | 300 | Only with HEIF Max or ProRAW turned on |
| 12 MP poster | 4032 × 3024 | 68.3 × 51.2 | 26.9 × 20.2 | 150 | Poster viewed from a few steps away |
HEIC
High Efficiency Image Container
HEIC is the HEIF image container (an MPEG standard from 2015) holding pictures compressed with the HEVC (H.265) codec. Apple made it the default photo format on iPhone and iPad in 2017 because it stores photos at roughly half the size of JPEG with similar quality. It can hold depth data, Live Photo sequences, transparency and 10-bit colour. Support outside the Apple ecosystem is patchy: many Windows PCs, web browsers, websites and online forms cannot open HEIC without extra codecs.
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- Yes
- Introduced
- 2015 · Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
PNG
Portable Network Graphics
PNG is a lossless raster format published in 1996 by the PNG Development Group and later standardised by the W3C and ISO. It keeps every pixel exactly, supports full alpha transparency and handles text, sharp edges and flat colours without artefacts. That precision makes it ideal for screenshots, logos, icons and interface graphics. The trade-off is size: photographs saved as PNG are often several times larger than the same photo as JPEG or WebP. All browsers, operating systems and editors open PNG files.
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1996 · PNG Development Group
People turn iPhone HEIC photos into PNG when the picture is a starting point for editing, retouching or a print layout and must not lose anything to another round of compression; JPG is the better pick when the photo is simply being shared.
What the PNG keeps and what it drops
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Pick PNG for a photo you will edit or layer over several sessions | Email a folder of 24 MP PNGs; each is many times larger than its HEIC |
| Pick PNG for a frame you plan to cut out in an editor later | Expect a transparent background from a normal camera photo |
| Untick Strip metadata when the capture date has to travel with the file | Use PNG for an upload form that caps files at a few hundred KB |
The PNG keeps the full resolution, the colors and the orientation; Auto orient applies the rotation flag so a photo taken sideways opens upright. Color stays accurate because Keep color profile carries the Display P3 profile iPhones embed. What does not carry over is everything stacked beside the main picture in the HEIC container: the depth map of Portrait shots, the short video of a Live Photo and the extra brightness data some recent iPhones store for HDR display. You get the still image as the Photos app shows it in standard range.
Metadata is removed by default, which strips GPS coordinates before you share. PNG gained an official place for EXIF data only in 2017, and many viewers still ignore it, so if dates matter for sorting, keep the HEIC originals in your library. To shrink a finished edit for sending, use compress image or export it as JPG.
Questions about .heic to PNG
Is there a free HEIC to PNG converter that needs no app?
This page is one: it runs in the browser, needs no account and converts up to 20 photos at a time. On a Mac, Preview can also export a single HEIC as PNG through File > Export.
How big is a PNG made from a 12 MP iPhone photo?
Typically between 15 and 25 MB, against roughly 1.5 to 3 MB for the HEIC. The exact figure depends on detail: a sharp landscape full of leaves compresses worse than a blurred portrait background.
Will my portrait photo keep its depth effect?
A Portrait mode HEIC stores a separate depth map next to the image so Photos can change the blur later. PNG holds a single image, so you get the photo as it was rendered, with the blur fixed and no adjustable depth.
Why does my PNG have no transparent background?
A camera photo has no transparency to begin with, so the PNG is fully opaque. To get a cut-out, lift the subject in the Photos app or remove the background in an editor, then save that result as PNG.
Can Windows 11 save a HEIC as PNG by itself?
Only after you add Microsoft's HEIF Image Extensions plus the paid HEVC Video Extensions; then Photos or Paint can open the file and save it as PNG one photo at a time. Converting here skips both installs.
