Convert HEIC to PNG
When you need to edit, annotate, or layer an iPhone photo without further compression, PNG is the safer choice. This converter decodes HEIC and re-saves it as lossless PNG, all locally in your browser.
To convert an iPhone HEIC photo to a lossless PNG, drop the file above. The tool uses heic2any to decode the HEIC's HEVC image data, then re-encodes the pixels as a lossless PNG with alpha support. Use this when you plan to edit the photo multiple times, annotate it, or feed it into a design tool that benefits from a lossless source. Everything runs locally. Choose PNG over JPG here when the photo will be edited repeatedly, since each JPEG save compounds artefacts while PNG never does. The cost is size: a HEIC that was 2 MB on the phone can become a 15 MB PNG, because PNG stores every pixel exactly and photographic content gives DEFLATE little to compress. For a photo you simply need to email or upload, JPG is the better target. Note also that HEIC's wide-gamut and HDR data is converted to standard sRGB, so very saturated colours may shift slightly.
Drop a HEIC here, or click to upload
Output: PNG
What happens when you convert HEIC to PNG?
PNG is a lossless raster format (ISO/IEC 15948) — every pixel produced by the HEIC decoder is preserved exactly. That makes PNG ideal for a design pipeline that will re-save the image several times, since JPEG's generational loss doesn't apply. HEIC is highly compressed (HEVC intra-frame), so PNG output is typically 3–6× larger than the HEIC. Alpha data in HEIC is passed through to the PNG's 8-bit alpha channel. Because canvas re-encoding is limited to 8-bit color, HEIC's 10-bit HDR data is down-sampled — for HDR-preserving workflows keep the HEIC.
Common mistakes and limitations when going from HEIC to PNG
Big files. A 3 MB HEIC often produces a 15–25 MB PNG, which is a lot for email or web use. HDR and 10-bit color are collapsed to 8-bit sRGB. Live Photo motion is discarded. And a few third-party HEIC variants (multi-image HEIF sequences, some drone RAW-in-HEIC containers) can't be decoded by heic2any — you'll get a clear error rather than a corrupted file.
Choosing the right settings for HEIC to PNG
This is the choice when quality matters more than file size. PNG stores the decoded HEIC exactly, with no second lossy pass, so nothing is added to whatever compression the camera already applied. The trade-off is size: a 2 MB HEIC commonly becomes a 10 to 20 MB PNG, because PNG's lossless compression is inefficient for photographic content. That makes this the right conversion for editing masters, print preparation and archival, and the wrong one for sharing or web use — where HEIC to JPG is almost always the better answer. As with the JPG route, only the primary still image is extracted. Live Photos lose their video component and bursts convert a single frame. Colour depth deserves attention here. HEIC can store 10-bit colour and PNG supports up to 16 bits per channel, so in principle more of the original range survives than a JPG conversion would allow — but the practical result depends on the decoder, and wide-gamut P3 content may still be mapped to sRGB. If you are preparing an image for professional print, work from the original HEIC in an application that handles colour management explicitly rather than relying on a format conversion to preserve gamut. Before converting a large batch, consider whether you need PNG at all. The size difference is severe enough that a folder of 200 holiday photos becomes several gigabytes, and cloud storage or email will refuse it. For anything that is going to be viewed rather than edited, JPG at quality 90 is visually indistinguishable and a fraction of the size. One practical note on iPhone sources: if you only need JPGs occasionally, iOS can be set to capture in JPG directly through Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible. That avoids the conversion entirely and skips a generation of loss, at the cost of roughly double the storage on the phone. That setting only affects photos taken afterwards, so anything already in the camera roll still needs converting.
HEIC to PNG conversion FAQ
Is the PNG lossless?
- Yes. Every pixel the HEIC decoder produces is stored exactly in the PNG — no additional compression loss.
How big will the PNG be?
- Typically 3–6× larger than the HEIC. HEIC uses efficient HEVC compression; PNG trades size for lossless fidelity.
Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
- No. All HEIC decoding and PNG encoding runs inside your browser tab.
Does PNG preserve HEIC's HDR?
- Not fully. Canvas re-encoding is 8-bit sRGB, so 10-bit HDR data is down-sampled. Keep the HEIC for HDR-aware editors.
What about transparency in a HEIC?
- Preserved. Both HEIC and PNG support 8-bit alpha, so transparent pixels carry through unchanged.
Why choose PNG over JPG for a HEIC?
- PNG is lossless — repeated edits and saves don't degrade the image. JPG re-encodes every save and drifts over generations.
Can I open the PNG anywhere?
- Yes. PNG has been universally supported since 1996 in every browser, editor and OS.
Does the tool need Apple's HEIC codec?
- No. The heic2any JavaScript library decodes HEIC natively in the browser on Windows, Linux and older Android.
HEIC vs PNG at a glance
| Property | HEIC source | PNG output |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | HEVC intra-frame | Lossless DEFLATE |
| Color depth | Up to 10-bit HDR | 8-bit sRGB |
| Alpha channel | Yes | Yes (preserved) |
| Typical size vs HEIC | Baseline | 3–6× larger |
| Best used for | Apple storage | Editing, layering, print prep |
Last updated:
References: ISO/IEC 23008-12 (HEIF/HEIC), ISO/IEC 15948 (PNG), heic2any decoder documentation, Apple Developer Photography guides.