A folder of iPhone photos on a Windows 10 PC is a specific kind of annoying. The filenames are all there, the file sizes look normal, and Photos either shows nothing or tells you that you need an extension.
There are five ways out, and they split into two families: convert the files to something Windows already reads, or teach Windows to read HEIC. The second family has a price tag and an install step attached, so it is worth knowing exactly what you are buying.
Why the file will not open
A .heic is a HEIF container wrapping HEVC-compressed image data, and Windows does not include that decoder by default. Microsoft's own support article is blunt about it: you need two Store packages, and both are required "even if you only plan on using photos and not videos." Without them, Photos reports that an extension is needed.
One more piece of context that affects how much you should invest here: Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Existing PCs keep running, but they stop receiving security updates unless they are enrolled in Extended Security Updates, which run through 12 October 2027. Spending money on Store codecs for a machine with a shrinking support window is a decision worth making consciously.
The five options, side by side
| Option | Install | Cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser conversion | Nothing | Free | JPG copies; no upload |
| Microsoft HEIF + HEVC extensions | Two Store packages | HEIF free, HEVC US$0.99 (US Store) | Apps can open HEIC; no JPG copies |
| CopyTrans HEIC | Desktop program | Free for personal use; business license on request | Explorer previews, right-click convert to JPEG |
| IrfanView | Program plus a HEIC codec | Free for non-commercial use | A viewer that opens HEIC once a codec is installed |
| Adobe Photoshop | Photoshop plus both extensions | Paid subscription | Open and edit HEIC in Photoshop |
Prices and terms were checked on 17 October 2026. Microsoft's Store pricing differs by region.
Option 1: Convert to JPG, install nothing
If the goal is to look at the photos, send them to someone, or drop them into a document, converting is faster than fixing the decoder situation.
- Open a current Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
- Click Choose Files and select the HEIC files from File Explorer, or drag them from the folder into the drop area.
- Adjust quality if you want a smaller output. The default is 90 out of 100.
- Save the JPGs individually, or grab the whole batch as a single archive.
- Open them in Photos, Windows Photo Viewer, or whatever you normally use.
The files are decoded and encoded on your PC; nothing is uploaded, and nothing is installed. There is no fixed file count, though your machine's RAM sets the real limit, and images above 16,777,216 pixels get scaled down proportionally with an on-screen notice when it happens.
The catch, and it is a real one: you end up with JPG copies, not HEIC support. If a new batch of iPhone photos arrives next week, you do this again. Option 2 or 3 is the better fit for a recurring workflow.
Option 2: Microsoft's two extensions
- Install HEIF Image Extension from the Microsoft Store. Free; requires Windows 10 version 17763.0 or later.
- Add the HEVC Video Extensions package. Costs US$0.99 (US Store) and needs Windows 10 build 16299.0 or newer.
Both are needed. The HEIF extension's own page says the HEVC package must also be installed to view images stored in .heic, .hif or .heif files, so the free half alone does nothing useful.
What you get for the money: Windows apps, including Photos, can open HEIC files. What you do not get: JPG copies. The extensions make HEIC readable, not convertible.
Option 3: CopyTrans HEIC
CopyTrans HEIC plugs HEIC support into Windows itself rather than into one application. Its site describes previewing and browsing HEIC images in File Explorer, opening them in Windows Photo Viewer on Windows 10 and 11, and right-clicking files to convert them to JPEG, PNG or PDF. It states a limit of 100 images per conversion run, and that conversion happens locally on your PC.
It runs on everything from Windows 7 through 11. Personal use costs nothing. Businesses, schools and government bodies fall under a commercial license, priced per machine and quoted individually.
For someone who regularly receives HEIC files on a Windows machine and wants Explorer thumbnails without opening anything, this is the closest match on the list.
Option 4: IrfanView
IrfanView occupies the small-and-quick end of the Windows viewer market: it starts fast, costs nothing for non-commercial use, and runs on both Windows 10 and 11. HEIC is not something it understands unassisted. Its FAQ is explicit that a codec must be installed first, and lists three paths:
- Microsoft's extensions, specifically "HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer" plus HEIF Image Extensions. Note that this is a different Store package from the one in option 2, which is exactly the sort of detail that wastes an afternoon.
- A freeware HEIC codec.
- The CopyTrans HEIC codec, free for personal use.
If you already use IrfanView for everything else, adding a codec is cheap. If you do not, installing a viewer in order to install a codec to view one folder of photos is a lot of steps.
Option 5: Photoshop
Photoshop will open HEIC on Windows, but not on its own: Adobe's requirement is that both the HEIF and HEVC extensions be installed from Microsoft first. So even the paid route depends on the same two Store packages.
This only makes sense if you already pay for Photoshop and want to edit the photos, not just look at them.
Choosing between them
- A few photos you need to view or send today: browser conversion. Zero install, nothing uploaded.
- You receive HEIC regularly and want it to just work: Microsoft's two extensions, or CopyTrans for personal use if Explorer thumbnails matter.
- You want one lightweight viewer for everything: IrfanView plus a codec.
- Photo editing is your job: Photoshop, still paired with Microsoft's extensions.
Preventing the problem instead of fixing it
If the photos come from an iPhone, Apple says photos imported to a PC "might be converted to JPEG." To keep the HEIC originals instead, open Settings > Apps > Photos on the iPhone and select Keep Originals. To make the phone capture JPEG from now on, change Settings > Camera > Formats to Most Compatible.
Neither setting helps with the folder you have in front of you. They help with the next one.
I maintain heicly.io, the browser converter described in option 1. Options 2 through 5 are Microsoft, CopyTrans, IrfanView and Adobe products; they are listed because converting is the wrong answer when you need HEIC support rather than a one-off JPG copy.
Originally published on heicly.io.
Top comments (0)