Open HEIC files on Windows: the missing codec

To open HEIC files, Windows needs an HEVC decoder, and it does not ship with one. A photo from an iPhone that shows a blank viewer or an error is intact, and the PC simply cannot read the compression inside it. Adding the HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store supplies the decoder, and a browser conversion to JPG avoids the install on a PC where the Store is blocked.

Why Windows will not open a HEIC file

Windows ships without the decoder for HEVC, the compression used on the picture inside every .heic file. The cause sits in the codec list rather than in the file, so the same photo opens on one PC and fails on another. Two Microsoft pages cover the two halves of the problem.

The formats Windows plays without help

Microsoft's own list of built-in formats stops at older codecs and leaves HEVC out. Microsoft Support says a clean Windows install plays "MPEG-4 (H.264), H.263, VC-1, WMV, DV, VP8, and Motion JPEG". HEVC is listed separately, under "Additional codec packs available from the Microsoft Store".

That support article applies to Windows 11 and Windows 10 alike. The Windows version is therefore not what decides whether a photo opens, and a PC on either version behaves the same until the HEVC package is added.

What a HEIC file is made of

A HEIC file is a HEIF container whose pictures use HEVC, which is the default compression for that container. Microsoft Learn describes HEIF as a container similar to TIFF that can hold pictures compressed in more than one way. Files compressed with HEVC "typically use the .heic file extension", while HEIF files compressed with AV1 usually carry the .avif extension.

The extension shows which decoder a file is asking for. That is how two PCs can disagree about files that look identical in File Explorer.

Install the HEIF and HEVC extensions to open HEIC files

Two packages are needed: one reads the container and the other decodes the pictures stored in it. Installing only the first leaves the photo unreadable. The prices in “Microsoft Store packages for HEIC files” were read from the US Store.

The image extension cannot decode alone

HEIF Image Extension costs nothing, and its own listing says it depends on a video package. The listing says it "enables Windows to read and write files that use the High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) format". The US price is $0.00 (as of September 2026), and the product ID is 9PMMSR1CGPWG.

The same listing adds a condition: "A video extension package must also be installed in order to view images that are stored in the HEIF file." The HEVC package covers that requirement.

The HEVC package has a paid listing and a free one

The Store sells the HEVC decoder under two names at different prices, and the free one is easy to miss. Searching the Store for "HEVC" surfaces the $0.99 product, while the free product, titled "HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer", is reached by entering its product ID in the Store search box. Either listing supplies the HEVC decoder that HEIF Image Extension asks for.

Microsoft Store packages for HEIC files, US prices read on 2026-09-05

Photos can prompt for the missing extension

Opening the file in Photos is the quickest first step on a PC that may be managed, because its prompt shows at once whether the Store can be reached. When the prompt opens nothing, the next section applies and needs no Store at all.

Convert HEIC files to JPG when the Store is blocked

A PC that blocks Store installs cannot gain a decoder, and converting the photo takes away the need for one. A work PC run by an administrator may block those installs.

The sakuttoAI HEIC converter takes several files at once and returns JPG, PNG or WebP, and a batch comes back as one download. The conversion runs in the browser rather than on a server, so each photo is processed on the device that already holds it.

A conversion needs no install, no administrator rights and no Store, so it works on the same PCs where the Photos prompt fails. To turn WebP files into JPG or PNG afterwards, Convert WebP to JPG or PNG, and JPG or PNG to WebP covers the sibling converter.

Stop the iPhone from saving photos as HEIC

The format is chosen when the photo is taken, so a camera setting prevents the problem for every new photo. Two iPhone settings matter, one at capture and one at transfer. Both are in the iPhone Settings app.

The "Most Compatible" setting saves JPEG

The Most Compatible setting trades storage for files that open anywhere. Apple Support says it saves new photos and videos as JPEG or H.264 instead of HEIF and HEVC. Photos already taken keep their format.

The cost is space. HEIF and HEVC compress more efficiently than JPEG and H.264 at comparable quality, so the compatible formats take more storage on the phone for the same picture.

The Keep Originals setting decides what reaches the PC

A second setting acts when photos move to the PC, and it explains why some transfers open and others do not. Apple Support says that importing HEIF or HEVC media from a connected iPhone or iPad to a Windows PC may convert it to JPEG or H.264. The Keep Originals setting under Photos turns that conversion off, so the untouched .heic files arrive.

Summary: the missing HEVC decoder is the whole problem

One cause explains every failed open, because Windows has no HEVC decoder until one is added. Neither the Windows version nor the file itself is at fault. The route depends on whether the Store works on that PC:

• Store available on a PC you administer: install HEIF Image Extension, then an HEVC Video Extensions package. Check whether the free Device Manufacturer listing is offered in your Store region before paying $0.99.
• Store blocked or PC managed by someone else: convert the photos in the browser and skip the install.
• Photos keep arriving as HEIC: set the iPhone camera to Most Compatible, and turn Keep Originals on if the untouched .heic files should reach the PC.