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Opening iPhone photos on Windows.

You do not need to hand this file to a converter.

You do not need to hand this file to a converter. The reason Windows will not open the photo is a missing decoder, and the decoder can come to you instead.

What is actually wrong

Your iPhone saved the photograph as HEIC. Windows 10 generally cannot read it. Windows 11 offers a paid codec from the Microsoft Store, which many people reasonably decline to buy in order to look at a photograph someone sent them. Either way you get grey thumbnails in Explorer and an error from most image viewers.

Nothing is broken. It is a format standoff between Apple and everyone else, and you are standing in the middle of it.

Open HEIC to JPG

Three ways round it

  1. Convert to JPG — HEIC to JPG. Universally openable afterwards. This is the usual answer.
  2. Convert to PNG — HEIC to PNG. Lossless, larger files. Worth it if you are going to edit the image.
  3. Change the iPhone setting — Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. The phone then saves JPEG from that point on. It does not convert the photos you already have.

The one that matters if the photo is a document

If someone has photographed a passport, a form, or a letter and sent it to you, converting it through a website means uploading someone else's identity document to a service neither of you chose. Doing it in the browser avoids that entirely. The decoder runs on your machine — the photograph never goes anywhere.

If you need several photographs as one file for a form or an application, HEIC to PDF produces a single document rather than a folder of images.

Watch nothing leave

Open DevTools → Network → run a conversion. There is no upload endpoint to receive a file.

Common questions

Why are my iPhone photos .HEIC?

It is the iPhone default. HEIC is roughly half the size of an equivalent JPEG, which is why Apple adopted it — but support outside Apple's ecosystem is patchy.

Can I make my iPhone stop using HEIC?

Yes. Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. It applies to new photos only.

Do I need to buy the Microsoft codec?

Not if you convert the files instead. The codec is useful if you regularly receive HEIC and want Explorer to show thumbnails.

Is converting safe for photos of documents?

Here, yes — the decoding happens on your device and nothing is transmitted. Uploading them to a conversion website is the part worth avoiding.

Can I convert a whole folder?

Yes. Add them all and download the batch as a zip.

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