- How to View iPhone HEIC Photos on Windows PC With the release of iOS 11, Apple has also made a radical change in the image coding formats. Even though it has preserved the old JPEG format, iOS 11 (11.1/11.2/11.3) extended its support to the new and advanced High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) format.
- If you need to convert HEIC on PC /Mac /Android /iPhone, you should transfer HEIC files to PC, Mac or Android devices first. But there is a major drawback that you need to have a HEIC reader in order to view these photos. It is a pity that few HEIC viewers are available for the new iPhone photo standard now.
Along with the release of the new iPhones, Apple has made a huge change to the iOS operating system in iOS 11. In the past, photos that you took with your iPhone were saved in JPEG format although now, iPhone users are going to have their photos stored in HEIC format. However, the HEIC formats pose some issues as some platforms are not compatible with it.
What’s a HEIF/HEIC File?
HEIC, the new file format that Apple created for iOS 11 devices, is a massive space-saver for users.The only problem with it is that it does not currently have native support in either Windows or Android environments. Although those capabilities are currently being developed, it could be a while before either OS is able to easily open and manage these files.
HEIF or HEIC files are the new type of files that are being used on iOS 11 when you take pictures. In the past, all of your photos were stored as JPEG files although as of the release of iOS 11, the iPhone 7 and higher now store photos in HEIC format. (Please note that only the iPhone 7/8/X and related Plus version with iOS 11 can store photos in HEIC format.)
On top of that, any Mac computers that run MacOS High Sierra (10.13) or newer will also be using HEIC as the primary photo format. In other words, masOS High Sierra (10.2 or lower), iOS 10 and lower, and iPhone 6 Plus and older can’t read HEIC or HEIF photos.
This caused lots of inconveniences: you can read HEIC photos on your computer; your friends cannot read the photos you send; you can share HEIC pictures to your media, etc.
This might seem like an unnecessary change but believe it or not, it’s for the best. By saving photos as HEIC instead of JPEG, the file size of your photos will be less, and the quality will be maintained – it’s a win-win for everyone.
The NO. 1 Best HEIC Reader for Free (Available for Win and Mac)
Unfortunately, while the HEIC format is a lot better, there aren’t many programs for computers which are capable of reading pictures stored as HEIF format.
But luckily, iMyFone TunesMate is one of the few programs that allows you to read HEIC photos for free. It’s the best HEIC readers for Windows and Mac. Not only can you use it as an HEIC reader, but you can also manage all of your iPhone data too.
Heic Converter For Mac
- Manage HEIC Photos: View or delete photos for free; Transfer HEIC photos from iOS 13/12/11 to computer.
- Two-Way Transfer: Freely transfer files between iPhone and computer without any data loss.
- Transfer to/from iTunes: Enrich iTunes library from unlimited iPhones even in different Apple IDs; Sync iTunes library without erasing.
- Backup & Restore: Backup iPhone media to computer/external hard drive, and restore backups.
- Files supported in iPhone/iTunes: photos, albums, music, playlists, videos, podcasts, audiobooks
- TunesMate received lots of sincere reviews from media, like Geekreply, getintopc.com, tricksworldzz.com, etc.
Easy Steps to View HEIC Photos with TunesMate Reader
Step 1. Start by downloading and installing iMyFone TunesMate on your computer, and connect your iPhone.
Step 2. On the iMyFone TunesMate interface, click on “Photos” from the top panel. All your photos will be displayed there. You can also head into albums from the left sidebar.
If you don’t want to have the photos on your computer, then you can simply use iMyFone TunesMate as a photo browser – either way will work!
However, if you want to extract iPhone photos to computer, you can click on Export > Export to PC/Mac and select a folder to store the photos.
Bonus Tips to Convert HEIC to JPG
Tip 1: Convert HEIC to JPG Using Professional Converter
To convert iOS 13/12/11 new photos from HEIC to JPG, it's much easier to make it if you use converter. Thought there are lots of online converters, it's not suggested as the conversion is done online and the converted photos are stored in their cloud servers.
Why not use the local converter iMyFone HEIC Converter? With it, you can convert HEIC photos in iOS 13/12/11 device or on computer. It's fast to convert, like converting single photo will take less than 1 s.
- Convert HEIC photos one at a time, or in bulk.
- View the HEIC photos one by one for free when you go to 'Convert Single Photo.
- Convert HEIC photos on computer, or in iOS 13/12/11 (no need to transfer photos to computer first).
- Won't cause any privacy leak, as the conversion is done locally.
4 Easy Steps to Convert iOS 13/12/11 New Photos from HEIC to JPG:
Step 1: Open the converter (and connect your iPhone if you need).
Step 2: Choose 'Convert Single Photo' or 'Convert Photos in Batch'.
Step 3: Select the photos on computer or from your device.
Step 4: Adjust 'Photo Quality' and 'Select Folder' to convert.
Tip 2: Turn Off HEIC Formats
Turning off HEIC formats means the photos taken later will be saved as JPG instead of HEIC formats. However, it does not influence the existing photos. To make it, you can go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible.
Note: It's available for pictures that will be taken later, but not for the existing ones.
Tip 3: Turn on Automatic Transfer
Turn on Automatic Transfer means HEIC photos will be saved as JPG when being transferred to PC or Mac. So you don’t need to use HEIC to JPG converter for the photos. To enable it, just head to Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC and make sure that the Automatic is checked.
Note: Automatic Transfer only works for the photos that will be shot later, but not for the existing photos. For existing HEIC photos, you should use converter.
Make sure that none of your photos are lost by enabling My Photo Stream. Because the file size of a HEIC photo is significantly smaller than a JPG, you don’t have to worry about your mobile data being used up.There’s no doubting how great it is that Apple has finally taken action and allowed for iOS users to continue taking more photos without compromising their storage.