What happens when you convert PNG to HEIF
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the PNG on our conversion server and saves it as a HEIF, compressed with HEVC at quality 80, the same kind of file as a HEIC with the extension Android cameras use.
- HEIF is written here without transparency, so transparent areas are filled with white.
- HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF". 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 HEIF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PNG and the HEIF by then.
Why convert PNG to HEIF?
PNG files usually come from screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency. People convert them to HEIF because HEIF is the open image format behind HEIC, used by Samsung, Sony and other cameras, and about half the size of a JPG of the same quality.
In short, PNG is good at what it was made for, and HEIF 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 HEIF; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot.
How to convert PNG to HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PNG to HEIF
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 HEIF: the differences
| PNG | HEIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Portable Network Graphics | High Efficiency Image File Format |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | the PNG Development Group | the Moving Picture Experts Group |
| First released | 1996 | 2015 |
| 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 from Samsung, Sony and other Android cameras that support it |
| MIME type | image/png | image/heif |
About PNG and HEIF 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 HEIF file?
HEIF is the container standard and HEIC is the name Apple gives files that use it with HEVC compression. Android phones that shoot in this format usually label the file .heif.
PNG to HEIF 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 HEIF 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.heifConverting 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 HEIF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PNG to HEIF?
A little, because HEIF is lossy. At this quality the difference is hard to see, and the file is much smaller.
Why is the HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF file?
Safari on Apple devices shows HEIF; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot. HEIF is common for photos from Samsung, Sony and other Android cameras that support it.
Is this PNG to HEIF 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 HEIF 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 HEIF is saved to your Downloads folder.