HEIC - Avoiding HEIC Uploads

HEIC  stands for High-Efficiency Image Codec and is used by Apple to store photos and additional data.  It has become an industry standard; however, some programs can not read or accept the file format. 

Avoiding HEIC

Here are a couple of quick steps to take if uploading a photo.

iPhone

• BEFORE  taking a photo:  Disable HEIC capture in iOS and iPad;
  •  in Settings > Camera > Formats, choose Most Compatible instead of High Efficiency.  This causes iOS to store photos in JPEG format.

• AFTER taking the photo: 
  • Open Photos, tap the Share button, and tap Mail to send the image to yourself.  This process automatically converts the image to JPEG.  
  • In Mail, select the message, tap to download it, and then press and hold the image. 
  • Finally, choose Save Image to put it back into Photos as a JPEG.

Do not AIrDrop to send it to another Apple device or Save it to Files from within Photos: both transfer methods preserve the HEIC format.

Mac Computer

Use the Preview app to open the HEIC image. Choose File > Export, select JPG format, and save it on your desktop.

Windows Computer 

Use the Windows Photo app to open the HEIC image.  Choose Edit > Save a Copy, select JPG format, and save it on your desktop.