HEIC to PNG Converter
Convert HEIC photos to lossless PNG for editing and archiving
Updated · Guide: How to Convert HEIC Photos to JPG on Any Device
Processed on our server. Sent over HTTPS to an isolated job, then deleted once you download.
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JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, TIFF, GIF, BMP, HEIC
Max 50 MB
Target format
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Up to 50 MB per file
No daily limit and no watermark on the result.
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How to convert HEIC to PNG
Upload your HEIC image
Click the upload area or drag and drop your HEIC file onto the converter.
Click "Convert to PNG"
The file is converted on our server. No software installation required.
Download your PNG file
Click the Download button to save your converted PNG image directly to your device.
What is HEIC to PNG conversion?
Converting HEIC to PNG decodes an iPhone HEIC photo into a lossless PNG that any editor can open and re-save without further quality loss, at the cost of a file several times larger. Choose this path when the photo is going to be edited rather than merely viewed.
PNG is the wrong answer for sharing an iPhone picture and the right answer for opening one in an editor and saving it repeatedly. The HEIC source is itself lossy: Apple's HEVC encoder quantized it at capture time, per ISO/IEC 23008-2 (HEVC). The PNG conversion, however, preserves every decoded pixel without further loss, and every save afterwards is byte-stable. That stability is what professional pipelines are buying. Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, GIMP, Affinity Photo, Paint.NET, and Pixelmator all handle PNG flawlessly without HEIC plugins, and the benefit compounds with the number of save cycles: colour grading passes, layered compositing, multi-pass skin retouching, generating variations for an iteration loop. Each JPG re-save would stack another round of generation loss on top of the last. PNG saves do not. Then there is the weight. PNGs from iPhone HEICs typically run 5-10x the source: a 2 MB HEIC commonly produces a 10-20 MB PNG, and 48 MP captures from an iPhone Pro can balloon to 50-100 MB. That is the price of lossless storage, worth paying for editing and archival and never for web delivery. Use HEIC to JPG for sharing and HEIC to WebP for browser-targeted publishing. One last subtlety: some iPhone HEIC captures carry Display P3 wide-gamut data. The converter tags the PNG with a P3 ICC profile when the source has one, but viewers without colour management fall back to sRGB rendering.
Why convert HEIC to PNG?
- PNG is lossless - no further quality is lost on subsequent saves or edits
- Design tools like Photoshop, Figma, GIMP, and Canva all work natively with PNG
- PNG supports transparency, useful when compositing iPhone photos
- Universal format accepted by all operating systems without plugin installation
What is the difference between HEIC and PNG?
The table below compares HEIC vs PNG across key format characteristics.
| Feature | HEIC | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | .heic | .png |
| Compression type | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency support | Yes (alpha) | Yes (alpha) |
| Animation support | Yes | No |
| File size | Smaller | Larger |
| Best use case | iPhone photography | Graphics, transparency |
| Browser support | Apple ecosystem | Universal |
Use HEIC for compact Apple storage; convert to PNG for lossless editing and universal compatibility.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the PNG larger than the original HEIC?
HEIC uses advanced lossy compression to achieve very small file sizes. PNG stores every pixel without lossy compression, which results in larger files. The PNG will be pixel-perfect, whereas the HEIC already has some compression applied.
Should I convert HEIC to PNG or JPG?
Use PNG if you plan to edit the image in a design tool or need to maintain maximum quality for printing. Use JPG if you need the smallest file size for sharing, uploading, or emailing.
Does HEIC support transparency?
HEIC can store alpha channels, but iPhone camera photos do not include transparency. The converted PNG will have an opaque background matching the original photo.
Can I edit an HEIC photo in GIMP or Paint.NET after converting to PNG?
Yes. GIMP, Paint.NET, and virtually all image editors open PNG files natively. The lossless PNG preserves full detail from the HEIC source, giving you the best starting point for editing, retouching, or compositing.
Is HEIC to PNG better than HEIC to JPG for printing at a photo lab?
Yes, if you are doing any editing before printing. PNG preserves all detail without generation loss during your editing workflow. Export the final edited PNG to JPG or TIFF only when submitting to the print lab. If you are printing unedited photos, HEIC to JPG at high quality is sufficient and produces much smaller files to upload.
Can I use the PNG output to remove the background from my iPhone photo?
Yes. After converting to PNG, open the file in any image editor that supports background removal. PNG fully supports alpha channel transparency, so once you remove the background, the transparent areas are preserved correctly. This is the standard workflow for creating product cutouts and portrait overlays from iPhone photos.
Will the 48 MP photos from iPhone Pro cameras convert correctly?
Yes. The converter handles the full 48 MP resolution (8064x6048 pixels) from iPhone 14 Pro and later ProRAW and HEIC captures. The resulting PNG will be large (potentially 50-100 MB for 48 MP) but preserves every pixel of detail from the high-resolution source.
How are the colours from a Display P3 iPhone HEIC handled in the PNG?
The converter detects the embedded Display P3 ICC profile and writes it into the PNG output. Colour-managed apps (Photoshop, Affinity, modern macOS Preview) will render the wider gamut accurately. Apps without colour management default to interpreting PNG pixels as sRGB, which can desaturate vivid reds and greens. For display-only use on non-managed platforms, consider converting to sRGB during edit before final export.
Related conversions
Related guides
How to Convert HEIC Photos to JPG on Any Device
A complete guide to converting iPhone HEIC photos to JPG format for universal compatibility, including batch conversion and quality preservation tips.
JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF: Which Image Format to Use
A detailed comparison of popular image formats covering compression, transparency, browser support, and the best use case for each format.