About HEIC Viewer

Our Mission

HEIC Viewer was built with a simple mission: make HEIC and Live Photo files accessible to everyone, without compromising privacy.

Since Apple introduced the HEIC format with iOS 11 in 2017, billions of iPhone photos have been saved in this space-efficient format. Yet for many users — especially those on Windows, Android, or older macOS versions — opening a simple HEIC photo can be frustrating. Installing codec packs, paying for extensions, or uploading sensitive photos to sketchy converter sites are all bad options.

We built heicviewer.com to be the best answer: instant, private, and completely free.

Why Client-Side Processing Matters

Most online file converters work by uploading your file to a server, processing it, and sending back a download link. This creates several problems:

• Privacy risk: Your photos sit on someone else's server
• Slow speeds: Uploading large HEIC files HEIC files takes time
• Storage concerns: You don't know if the server keeps copies
• File size limits: Many converters cap uploads at 10-50MB

We chose a different path. By using WebAssembly (WASM) and the libheif decoder running entirely in your browser, your files never leave your device. The conversion happens locally, at near-native speed, with no file size limits beyond what your browser can handle.

Key Features

• Instant Preview: See your HEIC and Live Photos immediately — no conversion step required before viewing
• Live Photo Support: Extract still images from .LIVP (Live Photo) files captured on iPhone
• Dual Format Output: Convert to JPG for sharing or PNG for lossless archival quality
• Batch Processing: Convert dozens of files at once, download individually or as a ZIP
• Adjustable Quality: Fine-tune JPG output quality from 10% to 100%
• Works Offline: After the initial page load, the tool works without internet
• No Registration: No accounts, no sign-ups, no paywalls — just a tool that works

Technology

HEIC Viewer is built with modern web technologies:

• heic2any — A JavaScript wrapper around libheif compiled to WebAssembly, enabling client-side HEIC decoding
• JSZip — For creating ZIP archives when you download multiple converted files
• Vanilla JavaScript — No frameworks, no bloat. Just clean, fast code that loads quickly
• Semantic HTML + Modern CSS — Responsive design that works on desktop and mobile

Who We Built This For

Whether you're a photographer sharing iPhone shots with clients, a designer who needs HEIC photos in Photoshop, a Windows user who just wants to open a photo, or anyone who values privacy — HEIC Viewer is built for you.

We believe useful tools should be free, private, and simple. No account required, no email collection, no tracking. Just drop your files and get results.

Get in Touch

Have feedback, suggestions, or found a file that doesn't convert properly? We'd love to hear from you. Visit our Contact page to reach out.