Why HEIC Images Don’t Work on Windows (And How to Fix It)?

If you’ve ever moved photos from your iPhone to a Windows computer, you’ve probably run into this issue:
the image won’t open, shows an error, or doesn’t preview at all.

That’s because iPhones save photos as HEIC files, a format that Windows doesn’t always handle well.

What Is HEIC?

HEIC is Apple’s image format designed to keep high quality while saving space.
It works perfectly on iPhones and Macs, but Windows support is limited and often unreliable.

Why HEIC Files Break on Windows?

There are a few common reasons:

• Windows doesn’t support HEIC out of the box

• required HEIF/HEVC codecs are missing or outdated

• many apps and websites don’t accept HEIC files

So even though the image itself is fine, Windows and many programs simply can’t open it.

The Simplest Solution: Convert HEIC to PNG

Instead of installing codecs or dealing with Windows settings, the easiest fix is to convert the image to PNG.

PNG works everywhere:

• all Windows versions

• all browsers

• all image editors and websites

Once converted, the image opens and uploads without any issues.

When Should You Convert HEIC Images?

You should convert HEIC files if you:

• use a Windows PC

• upload images to websites

• send photos to people without Apple devices

• edit images in Windows software

PNG avoids compatibility problems completely.