What is HEIC?
HEIC stands for High-Efficiency Image Container, a specific implementation of the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) standard that uses HEVC (H.265) compression. Introduced by MPEG in 2015 and adopted by Apple in 2017 with iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, HEIC allows high-quality images (including HDR and Live Photos) to be stored at roughly half the file size of JPEG.
This format isn't just compact—it supports advanced features like 10-bit color, transparency, burst image sequences, non-destructive edits, and metadata like EXIF and depth info.
How to Open HEIC Files?
- macOS / iOS: Native support via Preview and Photos apps.
- Windows 10+: Install Microsoft's HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store.
How to Convert HEIC to PDF?
- On macOS: Open in Preview → File > Export → choose PDF.
- On Windows: Open with Photos → File > Save as → select PDF from the type drop-down.
- Online Tools: Use free converters like PDF2Go to convert HEIC files to JPG or PDF. It supports batch conversion and produce high-quality results.
Why Convert to PDF?
PDF is universally supported across platforms and allows combining several images into one document. It's especially useful for sharing or printing HEIC images on systems that don't natively support the format.
