How to Convert HEIC to PNG: Perfect Quality From Your iPhone

You need to edit an iPhone photo in Photoshop. Or upload it to a form that only takes PNG. Or keep a pixel-perfect copy for your design files.

In all these cases, you need PNG. And your iPhone gives you HEIC.

Converting HEIC to PNG is simple. But there are a few things worth knowing so you get the best result. Let's walk through it.

Why Can't You Just Use HEIC Directly?

HEIC works great on Apple devices. Your iPhone, iPad, and Mac handle it without issues. But step outside the Apple world and things break down.

Windows needs a special codec extension to view HEIC. Some versions of Windows can't install it at all. Your colleague on a Windows PC might not be able to open your photo.

Design tools have mixed support. Figma doesn't accept HEIC. Canva doesn't. Older versions of Photoshop don't either. If you want to edit your photo in most tools, you need a different format.

Web platforms and forms almost never accept HEIC. Try uploading a HEIC file to a government portal, a job application, or an insurance claim. You'll get an error.

Printers and print services expect JPG, PNG, or TIFF. HEIC isn't part of any print workflow.

PNG solves all of these problems. It works on every operating system, in every design tool, on every website, and with every printer. There's nothing in the digital world that can't handle a PNG file.

Why Choose PNG Over JPG When Converting?

Both PNG and JPG work everywhere. So why pick PNG? Because PNG gives you something JPG can't: perfect quality.

PNG uses lossless compression. Every pixel in the original HEIC is preserved exactly in the PNG. Nothing gets thrown away. Nothing gets blurred. Nothing gets compressed to a lower quality.

JPG uses lossy compression. It removes some data to make files smaller. That means a small quality drop every time. For casual sharing, you won't notice. But for editing, archiving, or precision work, it matters.

Choose PNG over JPG when you:

• Plan to edit the image. Starting from a lossless source means your edits build on full quality. If you start from a lossy JPG, you're editing an already-degraded image.
• Need transparency. If you remove the background of your photo, PNG keeps the transparent areas. JPG fills them with solid color.
• Want to archive the photo. PNG preserves the image perfectly for future use. You can always convert a PNG to JPG later, but you can't go back the other way.
• Have images with text or sharp lines. Screenshots, documents, and graphics with readable text stay crisp in PNG. JPG blurs them.

Choose JPG when file size matters more than quality. JPG files are 5-10 times smaller than PNG for photos. If you're sending a batch of vacation pics by email, convert HEIC to JPG instead. For web use, convert HEIC to WebP for the best balance of quality and file size.

How Do You Convert HEIC to PNG?

ConvertIMG converts HEIC to PNG directly in your browser. Drop your files in, select PNG, and download. Everything stays on your device. Your photos are never uploaded to a server.

Since PNG is lossless, there's no quality slider. What you see is what you get. Every pixel from the HEIC file transfers perfectly to PNG.

Batch conversion works too. Drop 20 or 50 HEIC files at once. Each converts on its own and is ready to download when done.

One thing to keep in mind: PNG files are large. A 12-megapixel iPhone photo that's 2 MB as HEIC becomes 15-25 MB as PNG. That's normal for lossless. Make sure you have storage space, especially if you're converting a whole photo library.

What Happens to Live Photos and Depth Data?

iPhone photos sometimes carry extra data beyond the image itself. Live Photos include a short video clip. Portrait mode photos include depth information. Some photos have HDR tone mapping data.

When you convert to PNG, you get the main still image only. The Live Photo video clip is lost. The depth data doesn't transfer. HDR metadata is flattened.

This is true for any format conversion, not just PNG. JPG and WebP lose this data too. The extra data is stored in Apple's proprietary format and can't be translated.

If you need to preserve Live Photos or depth data, keep the original HEIC files. Use PNG only for the static image when you need it in a universal format.

How Do You Batch Convert iPhone Photos From HEIC to PNG?

If you have a large collection of iPhone photos to convert, here's an efficient workflow.

Step 1: Transfer your photos. Connect your iPhone to your computer or use AirDrop. Transfer the HEIC files you want to convert.

Step 2: Batch convert. Open ConvertIMG and drop all your HEIC files in at once. Select PNG as the output. Download the converted files.

Step 3: Organize. Create separate folders for your HEIC originals and PNG copies. Keep both. The HEIC files are your compact originals. The PNG files are your universal, editable copies.

For ongoing use, you don't need to convert everything. Only convert the photos you actually need in PNG format. Keep the rest as HEIC on your phone where they take up less space.

Can You Make Your iPhone Save Photos as PNG?

No. iPhones can only save photos as HEIC or JPG. PNG isn't an option in the camera settings.

You can switch to JPG by going to Settings, Camera, Formats, and selecting "Most Compatible." But this gives you larger files with lower quality than HEIC. It's not a great trade-off.

The better approach: keep shooting in HEIC and convert to PNG when you need it. Your phone stays efficient. You get PNG files when the situation calls for them. Best of both worlds.

For a complete overview of all image formats and their strengths, see our reference guide to image formats.

Ready to Convert Your HEIC Photos to PNG?

Need pixel-perfect copies of your iPhone photos? ConvertIMG converts HEIC to PNG in seconds. Lossless quality, works in any browser, completely free. Drop your files in and download. If your older iPhone photos need more detail, upscale the converted image with AI.