What happens when you convert PNG to HEIC
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the PNG on our conversion server and saves it as a HEIC, compressed with HEVC at quality 80.
- HEIC is written here without transparency, so transparent areas are filled with white.
- HEIC is usually about half the size of a JPG of the same quality. It opens on iPhones, iPads and Macs, and on Windows with the free HEIF Image and HEVC Video extensions; most browsers and many upload forms cannot open it.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert PNG to HEIC online
- Press "Choose PNG files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to HEIC". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each HEIC with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PNG and the HEIC by then.
Why convert PNG to HEIC?
PNG files usually come from screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency. People convert them to HEIC because HEIC is what iPhones and iPads save photos as, and it is about half the size of a JPG of the same quality.
In short, PNG is good at what it was made for, and HEIC is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PNG opens in every browser and image viewer, while Safari on Apple devices shows HEIC; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot.
How to convert PNG to HEIC on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PNG files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each HEIC is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the PNG files from Finder onto the drop zone and the HEIC files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose PNG files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted HEIC appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose PNG files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The HEIC is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PNG to HEIC
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size and is saved at quality 80.
Keep the PNG as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
PNG vs HEIC: the differences
| PNG | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Portable Network Graphics | High Efficiency Image Container |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | the PNG Development Group | the Moving Picture Experts Group, adopted by Apple |
| First released | 1996 | 2017 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | up to 16 bits per channel with a full alpha channel | up to 16-bit colour |
| In a browser | opens in every browser and image viewer | Safari on Apple devices shows it; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot |
| Common uses | screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency | photos taken on iPhones and iPads since iOS 11 |
| MIME type | image/png | image/heic |
About PNG and HEIC files
What is a PNG file?
PNG compresses without losing a single pixel, so screenshots and text stay razor sharp, but a photograph saved as PNG is often three to five times the size of the same photo as JPG.
What is a HEIC file?
iPhones save photos as HEIC because it is roughly half the size of an equivalent JPG. The catch is compatibility: Windows needs an extra codec, and most upload forms and older software reject it.
PNG to HEIC not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in PNG format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .png is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert PNG to HEIC from the command line
ImageMagick, built with libheif as the official installers are, does the same on your own computer:
magick input.png -background white -flatten -quality 80 output.heicConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
PNG to HEIC converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PNG to HEIC?
A little, because HEIC is lossy. At this quality the difference is hard to see, and the file is much smaller.
Why is the HEIC a different size from the PNG?
Usually far smaller than the PNG, because lossy compression discards detail the eye hardly notices.
Are my PNG files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful PNG to HEIC conversion needs ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the HEIC as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several PNG files to HEIC at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a HEIC file?
Safari on Apple devices shows HEIC; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot. HEIC is common for photos taken on iPhones and iPads since iOS 11.
Is this PNG to HEIC converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert PNG to HEIC on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the HEIC is saved to your Downloads folder.