You'll meet it the first time you try to upload a photo of a document and the website says "unsupported file type." The photo looked fine on your phone. It's the same picture, just wrapped in a format the site doesn't know. Nothing is wrong with your camera.
Here's what HEIC is, why Apple chose it, and how to deal with it when a form, an email or a portal won't take it.
What a HEIC is
Apple says iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra introduced support for two industry-standard formats: HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) for photos and HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) for video. Both offer better compression than JPEG and H.264, so they use less storage space on your device and in iCloud Photos while preserving the same visual quality.
The standard behind it is ISO/IEC 23008-12, which ISO describes as an interoperable storage format for a single image, a collection of images, and sequences of images. The Library of Congress explains the naming: HEIF is a container, and "heic" is the brand used for HEIF files that use HEVC encoding. It's the variant Apple chose as the default for iPhones, starting with the iPhone 7. Files end in .heic, which is why people say "HEIC" rather than "HEIF."
Apple says iPhone 7 or later can capture in these formats, along with several recent iPads. Older devices can view and duplicate such media with limitations.
What it looks like
In practice, you'll run into HEIC in four places. The table shows what usually happens in each.
| Where you meet it | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Camera setting | High Efficiency saves HEIC; Most Compatible saves JPEG | Settings, Camera, Formats |
| Sharing by AirDrop, Messages or email | If the receiving device doesn't support it, Apple says the photo might be shared as JPEG automatically | Usually nothing |
| Importing to a PC over USB | The photo might be converted to JPEG | Choose Keep Originals in Photos settings if you want HEIC |
| Exporting on a Mac | Open the photo in Photos or Preview, choose File, Export, then pick JPEG or PNG | Convert a copy |
| Uploading to a portal | Some sites reject it | Convert to JPEG, or use the portal's accepted list |
| US passport online renewal | JPG, PNG, HEIC and HEIF are accepted | Check the current rules before uploading |
The Library of Congress adds a caution that matters for long-term storage: the HEVC compression underneath HEIC is heavily encumbered with patents, which has been a general problem for video coding schemes. In plain terms, HEIC isn't as universally open as JPEG, which is one reason some programs still skip it.
What to keep and for how long
HEIC is a format, not a record, so how long to keep a photo depends on what it shows. A picture of a receipt follows the receipt's rules; see what documents to keep and for how long. A few format-specific habits help:
- Keep the original HEIC. Apple notes that exporting to another format is something you do manually. Convert a copy for the portal and leave the original alone.
- Convert when a recipient needs it. To get a JPEG, use the HEIC to JPG tool. To bundle photos into a document, the HEIC to PDF tool turns them into a single file.
- Set the camera for the job. If you're about to photograph a stack of papers for a school or an agency, Most Compatible can save you conversions. Switch back afterward if you prefer smaller files.
- Pick the right container for documents. A multi-page document belongs in a PDF, not a pile of photos. See how to turn photos into a PDF on iPhone.
- Check the file isn't a scan problem. If an upload fails on size or sharpness rather than type, read dpi for what resolution you need.