HEIC vs HEIF: what is the difference?
HEIF is the container standard; HEIC is what Apple calls a HEIF file whose picture is compressed with HEVC. Most of the time you can treat them as the same thing when converting.
Updated · 2 min read
The difference in one table
| HEIF | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A container format standard for images and image sequences (ISO/IEC 23008-12) | HEIF files whose images are compressed with HEVC |
| Developed by | MPEG | Name used by Apple and others for the HEVC flavour |
| Extensions you will see | .heif (and .heic, .avif in the same family) | .heic |
| Compression codec | Not fixed – depends on the file | HEVC (H.265) |
| Typical MIME type | image/heif | image/heic |
Container versus codec
Think of a HEIF file as a box, and the codec as the way the picture inside it was squeezed. HEIF defines the box: how images, thumbnails, depth maps and metadata are stored. The codec decides how the pixels are compressed. Apple’s photos use HEVC inside that box, and the combination is what gets the .heic extension.
Where AVIF fits
AVIF is closely related: it stores images compressed with the AV1 codec in the same HEIF-style container. A .avif file is therefore not a HEIC file even though both belong to the same family. A converter that reads HEIC will not necessarily open AVIF, and the reverse is also true.
What it means when you convert
- Files from an iPhone or iPad are HEIC, whether they end in .heic or .heif. A HEIC converter handles both.
- If a .heif file comes from a different device, it may use a different codec; try converting it, and if it fails the file may not be HEVC-based.
- The output formats are the same as for any HEIC file: JPG for compatibility, PNG for lossless copies, WebP for websites, PDF for documents.
Ready to convert? Use the HEIC to JPG converter – it accepts both .heic and .heif files.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about HEIC files, privacy and conversion.
Are HEIC and HEIF the same?
They are closely related. HEIF is the container standard, and HEIC is HEIF with HEVC-compressed pictures. For everyday use, converting either works the same way.
Is AVIF the same as HEIC?
No. AVIF stores AV1-compressed images in a HEIF-style container, while HEIC uses HEVC.
Why does Windows say .heif but iPhone makes .heic?
Both extensions are used within the same family. Apple uses .heic for its photos; other software may save or label files as .heif.