Drop HEIC images hereAdd HEIC images
Turn HEIC photos into lossless PNGs for editing, collages and cut-outs.
or paste with CtrlCommandV HEIC or HEIF, plus JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, BMP, TIFF, ICO, PSD or SVG
Your files never leave your deviceAbout this tool
HEIC to PNG converter for lossless editing copies
A PNG is the copy to keep editing: saving it again never costs detail, every editor opens it, and it holds transparency. ToolHero makes one from each HEIC on your device, with a decoder your browser already has: in Safari, or in Chrome where the device decodes HEVC. Expect a bigger file: 1.6× the HEIC on our test photo.
When a PNG is the better pick
- You’ll retouch it more than once. Every JPG save throws a little more away; a PNG comes back exactly as you left it, round after round.
- The picture has a see-through background. Some apps write HEIC with a transparency layer. ToolHero reads that layer, so the PNG stays see-through where the photo was, which a JPG would fill with white.
- A design tool insists on PNG. Slide templates, sticker makers and some print forms take nothing else.
Only sharing the photo? Our HEIC to JPG converter makes a file a fraction of the size.
What your browser needs
Reading HEIC means decoding HEVC, the video compression inside it. Rather than shipping a copy of that licensed technology, ToolHero asks your browser to do it. Safari decodes HEIC natively. Chrome passes the photo’s tiles to the HEVC decoder of your device, when it has one.
In our tests Firefox couldn’t. Where a browser can’t, the photo gets a brief note and a link to the steps your system offers instead.
How big the PNG gets
PNG keeps every pixel without loss, and photos are full of fine detail, so the file grows. Our 12-megapixel test picture went from 3.9 MB as HEIC to 6.3 MB as PNG.
Don’t need every pixel? Resize first: half the width and height leaves a quarter of the pixels to store.
Why convert HEIC to PNG?
How it works
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Step 1:Add HEIC files
Drag in photos from an iPhone, AirDrop or a camera folder, or choose them from your device.
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Step 2:Press Convert
PNG is selected already, with no quality slider to set: a PNG keeps everything.
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Step 3:Save the PNGs
One at a time, or together in a .zip, each named after its HEIC.
HEIC vs PNG at a glance
How the two formats compare, so you know what to expect.
HEIC
Your filesThe format iPhones and iPads save photos in. It packs a photo into less space than a JPG, but plenty of apps, sites and computers can’t open it.
Best for Keeping photos small on the phone that took them.
PNG
What you getA lossless format that keeps every pixel exactly. Great for screenshots, logos and anything with text or sharp edges.
Best for Screenshots, logos, diagrams, cut-outs with transparency, and master copies you will edit again.
| HEIC | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy (HEVC) | Lossless |
| Transparency | Rarely | Yes |
| Animation | Rarely (image sequences) | Rarely (APNG) |
| Photo file size | Smaller than a JPG | Often 3–5× a JPG |
| Opens in | Apple devices and most Android phones; Windows needs extra codecs | Everywhere |
Questions, answered
Is a PNG made from a HEIC lossless?
From then on, yes. The PNG holds exactly the pixels the HEIC decodes to, and saving it again loses nothing. It can’t undo the compression the HEIC already used.
Does the PNG keep a transparent background?
Yes, when the HEIC has one. ToolHero reads the photo’s transparency layer, so the PNG stays see-through in the same places. Ordinary camera photos have no such layer and stay solid.
Why is the PNG bigger than the HEIC?
HEIC uses the efficient compression of modern video and lets go of detail you’re unlikely to see, while PNG stores the exact pixels. On our test picture the PNG was 1.6× the size.
Should I choose PNG or JPG for iPhone photos?
JPG for sharing, online forms and print services, where small files matter. PNG for editing, layering and anything with transparency.
Does this work in Firefox?
Not in our tests: Firefox didn’t decode HEIC for ToolHero to use. If yours can’t either, open the photo in Safari, or in Chrome on a computer that decodes HEVC, or use your system’s built-in converter.
Related conversions
Lossless, keeps transparency.To PNG · Lossless
Convert to
Compression
PNG is lossless, so there’s no quality to pick. Every pixel stays exactly as it is.