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Everything you need to know about using heic.site.

Converting Images

How do I convert a file?

Pick a format, drop your files in, and the conversion starts by itself.

  1. Choose the output format: JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, or PDF if you're on Pro
  2. Set the quality if you want to; the slider only appears for lossy formats
  3. Drag your files onto the drop zone, or click it to browse
  4. Conversion begins as soon as the files land
  5. Download them one at a time, or take the whole batch as a ZIP
What does the quality slider do?

The slider sets the compression level for the lossy formats: JPG, WebP and AVIF. A higher number keeps more detail and makes a bigger file. Our defaults are 92 for JPG, 85 for WebP and 80 for AVIF, and at those settings the difference from the original is invisible at normal viewing size. PNG is lossless, so it gets no slider.

What is EXIF metadata and should I strip it?

EXIF is the hidden data your camera writes into a photo: GPS coordinates, the camera and lens model, the timestamp, the exposure settings. We strip it by default, since sharing a holiday photo rarely means sharing the address it was taken at. Untick "Strip EXIF metadata" in the settings panel if you'd rather keep it. JPG and WebP carry EXIF properly; PNG and AVIF are patchier.

How many files can I convert at once?

Free converts 3 files per batch, with no limit on how many batches you run. Pro removes the batch limit, so you can drop in a whole folder and take the results as one ZIP. Files go through one after another to keep memory use down, and since the work happens on your own device, your browser's memory is the real ceiling — on an older machine or a phone, 50-75 files per batch is a safe size.

See what Pro includes →

Are my files uploaded to a server?

No. Conversion happens locally in your browser using WebAssembly, and your files never leave your device. Check for yourself: open your developer tools, switch to the Network tab and convert something. Nothing goes out over the wire. The exception is the Pro sharing feature, which uploads the specific files you choose to share.

Formats

Which formats can I convert from?

HEIC, HEIF, AVIF, WebP, PNG, JPG and JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF and TIF. The converter identifies the format from the contents of the file rather than the extension. TIFF deserves a note — no browser decodes it natively, so we ship our own decoder and run it in a background thread, which is why TIFF works here and fails on most in-browser converters. A multi-page TIFF converts its first page only.

Which output format should I choose?

It depends on where the file is going next. One thing to watch for: converting an image with transparency to JPG turns those pixels black, because JPG has no alpha channel. PNG and WebP keep transparency intact.

FormatBest forNotes
JPGPhotos, sharing, emailOpens everywhere, small files, no transparency
PNGScreenshots, graphics, transparencyLossless, larger files
WebPWeb use, social mediaBest quality for the size
AVIFMaximum compressionSmallest files, but few browsers can create it, and Chrome cannot
PDFDocuments, printingPro only
Why is AVIF greyed out?

Your browser has no AVIF encoder attached to its canvas, and most browsers still don't. Chrome is the notable one; Safari 16.4 and later can encode AVIF, and so can Firefox. We test for the encoder before offering the option and grey it out when the test fails, because a file named .avif with something else inside helps nobody. Reading AVIF is a separate matter and works nearly everywhere, so converting from AVIF is unaffected.

Why is Safari faster for HEIC files?

Safari on macOS and iOS uses the hardware-accelerated HEVC decoder Apple builds into the chip, so HEIC decoding runs on dedicated silicon instead of in software. That's faster than the WebAssembly decoder the other browsers fall back to. Once the image is decoded, the encoding step to JPG or PNG takes the same time everywhere.

Pro Features

What does Pro include?

Pro is $5 a month, or $50 a year. The batch limit goes away, so instead of 3 files at a time you can drop a whole folder in and take the results as one ZIP, still converted in your browser however large the batch. Pro also unlocks PDF output, with the page sized to the image rather than to letter paper, and file sharing, which turns a set of converted files into a link you can send someone.

See what Pro includes →

How does file sharing work?

Convert your files first, then look below the file list for the "Share files" section that Pro accounts see. Pick an expiry of 24, 36 or 72 hours, add a recipient address if you want us to email the link, and press "Get Link". One share holds up to 10 files, or 50 MB in total. We only send that email once your own address is confirmed, because the message names you as the sender. When the expiry passes the files are deleted permanently.

How do I manage my subscription?

Open your account page and click "Manage Billing". That hands you to the Stripe billing portal, where you can change your payment method, switch between the monthly and yearly plans, pull up invoices, or cancel. Cancelling takes effect at the end of the period you've already paid for, so you keep Pro until then.

Go to your account →

Troubleshooting

Conversion is failing or stuck

Work through these in order.

  1. Refresh the page and convert again
  2. Try a different browser; Chrome is the most reliable of them
  3. Check the file really is a valid image, and rename it if the name carries unusual characters
  4. For files over 50 MB, your browser may be running out of memory, so convert fewer at a time
My HEIC file says "not a valid HEIC file"

We check the header bytes rather than trusting the extension. If you see that message, the file is probably corrupted, or incomplete from a download that stopped early, or not HEIC at all despite its name. Fetch it again from the source and try once more.

The converted image looks different from the original

Converting to a lossy format at a low quality setting costs you detail, so push the slider to 95 or higher and compare again. Colours are a different problem. If they look off, the source is probably in a wide gamut like Display P3 that the output can't carry — JPG and PNG are sRGB, while WebP and AVIF hold wider gamuts. And if parts of the image have gone black, the original had transparency, which JPG can't store. Convert to PNG or WebP instead.

I can't log in / forgot my password

There's no password reset flow yet. Email support and we'll get you back into your account. Check that you're using the same address you signed up with.

Share link says expired but I just created it

Share links are timed in UTC. If an expiry looks wrong, it's usually a timezone difference rather than a broken link. A link expires exactly 24, 36 or 72 hours after the moment it was created, measured on server time.

Still need help?

The FAQ covers a few more questions. If yours isn't answered anywhere, email support@heic.site and we'll reply.