What happens when you convert WebP to HEIC
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the WebP 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.
- Photos are turned upright using the rotation stored in them, so the result is always the right way up.
- 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 WebP to HEIC online
- Press "Choose WebP 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 WebP and the HEIC by then.
Why convert WebP to HEIC?
WebP files usually come from images served by websites to save bandwidth. 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, WebP 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. WebP opens in all current browsers; older Photoshop and Windows Photo versions cannot open it, while Safari on Apple devices shows HEIC; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot.
How to convert WebP to HEIC on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP to HEIC
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size and is saved at quality 80.
Keep the WebP as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
WebP vs HEIC: the differences
| WebP | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | WebP image | High Efficiency Image Container |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | the Moving Picture Experts Group, adopted by Apple | |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 24-bit colour plus an 8-bit alpha channel | up to 16-bit colour |
| In a browser | opens in all current browsers; older Photoshop and Windows Photo versions cannot open it | Safari on Apple devices shows it; Chrome, Edge and Firefox cannot |
| Common uses | images served by websites to save bandwidth | photos taken on iPhones and iPads since iOS 11 |
| MIME type | image/webp | image/heic |
About WebP and HEIC files
What is a WebP file?
WebP can be lossy or lossless and still keep transparency, and at the same visual quality it usually lands 25 to 35 percent smaller than JPG. It is the reason so many images saved from websites turn out not to be JPGs.
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.
WebP 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 WebP format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .webp is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert WebP to HEIC from the command line
ImageMagick, built with libheif as the official installers are, does the same on your own computer:
magick input.webp -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.
WebP to HEIC converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting WebP 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 WebP?
Usually far smaller than the WebP, because lossy compression discards detail the eye hardly notices.
Are my WebP files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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.