Free Online HEIC Viewer
Open and view HEIC photos in any browser: drop up to 20 files and see them full size in a second. Nothing to install, no account, and every photo can be saved as JPG with one click.
How to Open a HEIC File Online
Three steps and about a second per photo. It works on Windows 10 and 11, macOS, Android, Chromebooks and Linux, because the only thing you need is a browser.
Drop your HEIC photos
Click “Open HEIC photos” or drag up to 20 files into the box. Pasting a file from the clipboard works too.
The preview appears
Each photo is decoded on the server and shown as a full size preview, with its resolution and file size underneath. Click any preview to see it big.
Save as JPG if you need to
Every photo has a “Download JPG” button, and the whole batch can be saved as one ZIP. If you only wanted to look, close the page and you are done.
Why your computer cannot show a HEIC photo
HEIC is the format every iPhone has used by default since iOS 11 in 2017. It is a HEIF container with HEVC compression inside, and that codec is the problem: it is patent licensed, so Windows does not ship a decoder, most browsers refuse to render it, and many older apps simply show a blank thumbnail. On Windows 10 and 11 the fix is two Microsoft Store add ons, HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions, and on many PCs the second one costs money. On Android anything older than version 10 has no support at all.
This viewer removes the whole question. The HEIC is decoded here, on the server, and what reaches your browser is an ordinary JPEG that every browser made in the last twenty years can display. There is nothing to install, nothing to pay for, and it works the same on a locked down office PC, a Chromebook or a Linux laptop. The full background is in what is a HEIC file.
What the viewer shows, and what it does not touch
You get the photo at its native resolution, correctly rotated, with the pixel dimensions and the original file size listed under each preview. Click a preview to open it full screen; press Escape or click anywhere to close it. The preview is a JPEG encoded at quality 92, visually identical to the HEIC for viewing and printing.
Your original file is never modified. The HEIC you dropped stays exactly as it was on your device; the viewer works on a copy that is uploaded, decoded and stored behind an unguessable link for 30 days, then deleted automatically. Live Photos show their still frame. Portrait mode photos show the photo, not the depth map. Photos from Samsung phones and .hif files from Canon, Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm cameras open the same way as iPhone photos.
If a file does not open, it is almost always one of two things: a JPG or PNG that was renamed to .heic by hand, or a download that stopped halfway. Renaming an extension does not convert a file; the viewer checks the real content, not the name.
Prefer a viewer you can install?
For a folder of hundreds of photos an installed viewer is the better tool. On Windows 11 the Photos app opens HEIC once the HEIF Image Extensions are installed from the Microsoft Store; if the HEVC codec is missing or paid on your PC, IrfanView with its plugins pack, XnView MP or CopyTrans HEIC for Windows add support for free. On a Mac, Preview, Quick Look and Photos handle HEIC natively. On Android 10 and newer, Google Photos and Samsung Gallery display HEIC out of the box. On Linux, GIMP 2.10 and newer and most image viewers work once libheif is installed.
The full comparison, with the exact settings and download links for each option, is in the guide the best HEIC viewers for Windows, Mac and Android. When the goal is to send the photo somewhere that only accepts JPG, use the HEIC to JPG converter instead of a viewer.
Where HEIC opens without help, and where it does not
A quick map of native support in 2026. Anything in the right column is a case for this viewer or for converting to JPG.
| Platform | Opens HEIC natively | Needs help |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad, Mac | Yes, since iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra | Nothing |
| Windows 11 | Photos app with the free HEIF Image Extensions | HEVC codec is paid on many PCs; Paint and older apps still fail |
| Windows 10 | Photos app after installing both Store extensions | Same codec issue; version 1803 or newer required |
| Android | Android 10 and newer in Google Photos and Samsung Gallery | Older Android and many third party apps |
| Chrome, Edge, Firefox | No | Everything: browsers download HEIC instead of showing it |
| Chromebook | Gallery app on recent ChromeOS | Web uploads and older devices |
| Linux | With libheif installed | Default installs of many distributions |
Device by device instructions, including the Microsoft Store links, are in how to open HEIC files on any device.
HEIC Viewer: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I view a HEIC file without converting it?
Does the HEIC viewer work on Windows 10 and 11?
Can I open HEIC files on Android or a Chromebook?
Is the preview full resolution?
Are my photos private?
Can I view many HEIC files at once?
Convert instead of viewing, and the guides behind the format
The same engine that shows your photo can also hand it back in the format a website, a form or a print shop asks for.
Built and maintained by BDK Media Daniel Bihun, the team behind heicjpg.online. Page updated on September 17, 2026.