# HEIC to PNG: Convert Your iPhone Photo for Free

> A free online tool that converts a HEIC or HEIF photo, such as an iPhone photo, to a lossless PNG (or JPG or WebP), keeping transparency when the file has it.

HEIC to PNG conversion takes one HEIC photo and writes it as a PNG file, a lossless format that keeps every decoded pixel and any transparency. Upload the photo, keep PNG selected and download the result with the .png extension. The free web tool needs no account, the photo is turned upright if it was stored rotated, and it keeps its pixel size.

## Key facts

- Input: HEIC or HEIF photos (the main picture; the type is read from the file content), and also PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, BMP or TIFF, up to 5 MB in the free tool and 10 MB when signed in, and up to 16 MP (4096 x 4096); SVG, PDF and camera RAW files are not accepted.
- Output: a PNG with the same width and height; PNG is lossless, so there is no quality setting; transparency is kept when the HEIC has an alpha channel. The tool reads HEIC but cannot save it.
- In our test a 1280 x 854 px example photograph saved as a 701 KB HEIC became a 2.3 MB PNG, a 297 KB JPG at quality 80 and a 262 KB WebP; a 400 x 300 px HEIC with a transparent background became a PNG that still had an alpha channel.
- A rotation stored in the HEIC file is applied, so the PNG comes out upright; only the main picture of a file with several pictures is converted; the HEIC is decoded by libheif with libde265 as a separate program on our server; the upload is deleted when the job ends and the result after 10 minutes; signed-in users pay 1 credit per image plus 1 more credit for each started 5 MB of result beyond the first 5 MB.
- Free without an account: up to 10 conversions per minute and 50 per day per visitor, no watermark. Signed in, each render costs 1 credit (100 free credits every month).
- Files are deleted automatically: 10 minutes after conversion without an account, 1 day with a free account.
- Developers can run the same job with POST https://api.aiipworld.com/v1/image-jobs?op=image_convert (the image as the request body, settings in the query string) and an API key (see the API docs page).

## Sources

- [Nokia Technologies: High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF)](https://nokiatech.github.io/heif/)
- [W3C: Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Specification](https://www.w3.org/TR/png-3/)

Last reviewed: 2026-10-15

## How it works

1. Choose your HEIC photo in the tool above. HEIF files with the .heif extension work the same way.
2. Wait for the file line. Your browser checks the file type, the file size and the pixel count before upload and shows the image size. Browsers cannot draw HEIC, so there is no preview.
3. Keep PNG selected under 'Convert to', or pick JPEG or WebP.
4. Click Convert to PNG and wait for the result panel.
5. Check the preview of the finished PNG, then press Download. The file ends in .png.

## How to convert HEIC to PNG

Start by choosing your HEIC photo in the tool above. Before upload, your browser checks the file type, the file size and the pixel count, and it shows the width and height. It cannot show a preview, because most browsers cannot draw HEIC.

PNG is already selected under 'Convert to', so a lossless PNG needs no change. When the job finishes, the result panel shows a preview on a checkerboard, the file size, the formats, the pixel size and how long the file is kept. Press Download to save the file, which ends in .png.

## What HEIC to PNG conversion does

This heic to png converter decodes the main picture of your HEIC file and encodes it again as a PNG. The HEIC decoding is done by libheif together with libde265, two open-source libraries, started as a separate program on our server. The PNG is written by sharp, which uses the libvips library. This is ordinary image processing, not artificial intelligence.

By default the pixel size stays the same, and nothing is cropped. The conversion runs on our server, so the photo is sent to us and is not processed in your browser. The uploaded file is used only to make the converted file.

## Why people convert HEIC to PNG

PNG is accepted by almost every program, and it does not lose detail when it is saved. People choose it when they want to edit the photo in an app that does not read HEIC, when they need a lossless copy, or when the HEIC has a transparent background that must stay transparent.

Many iPhones save photos as HEIC when the camera is set to High Efficiency, so a PNG is a way to use those photos where HEIC is refused. If you only need a small file for sharing, a JPG is the better choice, and the HEIC to JPG converter does that.

- Photo editors and design apps that do not read HEIC
- A lossless copy of the decoded picture
- A HEIC with a transparent background

## HEIC to PNG: file size

A PNG made from a HEIC photograph is much larger than the HEIC, because PNG stores every pixel without lossy compression. In our test, a 1280 by 854 pixel example photograph from the libheif project, a 701 KB HEIC, became a 2.3 MB PNG, a 297 KB JPG at quality 80 and a 262 KB WebP at quality 80.

A 12 megapixel phone photo gives a PNG of roughly 10 MB in our tests, and a very detailed one can pass the 20 MB output limit, in which case the job fails with an output too large message and is refunded. Choose JPG or WebP for large photos.

## Transparent HEIC to PNG

Some HEIC files have an alpha channel, which means transparent areas. PNG keeps transparency, so the transparent areas of the HEIC stay transparent in the PNG. In our test, a 400 by 300 pixel HEIC with a transparent background became a PNG that still had an alpha channel.

JPEG has no transparency. If you choose JPEG instead, the transparent areas are filled with a background colour, white by default. You can also turn the 'Keep transparency' option off to fill the PNG's transparent areas with that colour.

## Rotated photos, several pictures in one file and metadata

Phones usually store a portrait photo with a rotation setting instead of turning the pixels. The converter applies that rotation, so the PNG comes out upright. In our tests, HEIC files stored rotated by 90 and by 180 degrees came out the same way up as the unrotated one.

If a HEIC file holds several pictures, such as a burst, only the main picture is converted. The other pictures, the depth map and the small previews are ignored. A file with more than 8 pictures, or one that is a moving picture or an image sequence, is refused. Camera and location tags, such as EXIF and GPS data, are not copied into the converted file.

## Photos that are too big

The limit is 16 MP (4096 x 4096) per picture. A 12 megapixel photo, 4032 by 3024 pixels, fits. A phone photo taken at full resolution with a 48 megapixel camera is larger than the limit and is refused from the file header, before it is decoded. Use the phone's own export setting or its Share option for a smaller version, then convert that.

The free web tool takes up to 5 MB per file.

## Which files the converter accepts

On this page the tool accepts HEIC and HEIF photos, and also PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, BMP and TIFF. It reads the file type from the content, not the file name, so a file renamed to .heic that is really something else is read as what it is or refused.

SVG, PDF and camera RAW files are not accepted. A moving HEIC, such as a sequence, is refused, and the video of an iPhone Live Photo is a separate file that is not converted. A corrupt HEIC returns an unsupported image message.

The free web tool takes up to 5 MB per image and 30 images per day per visitor. Signed-in users can convert up to 10 MB per image. A picture over the pixel limit (16 MP (4096 x 4096)) is refused from the file header before it is decoded.

When you are signed in, a conversion costs 1 credit per image, plus 1 more credit for each started 5 MB of result beyond the first 5 MB. Failed and timed-out jobs are refunded.

## HEIC to PNG converter: PNG, JPG or WebP output

This converter reads a HEIC file and saves it as PNG, JPG or WebP. PNG is selected by default, so a convert heic to png job needs no change to the settings. HEIF files, the same container with the .heif extension, are read the same way, so it also works as a heif to png converter.

Pick JPEG or WebP under 'Convert to' if you need a smaller file. The tool cannot save HEIC files, so it converts out of HEIC but not into it.

## HEIC to PNG from code

If you convert many photos, you can call the API instead of the tool. Send the raw HEIC bytes as the body of a POST request to https://api.aiipworld.com/v1/image-jobs, with Content-Type set to image/heic (application/octet-stream also works, because the file type is read from the content). Add op=image_convert and format=png to the query string.

Authenticate with your API key in an Authorization: Bearer header, or with x-api-key. The API returns 202 with a job_id. Poll GET /v1/jobs/:id until the status is succeeded, failed or timeout, then download the file from the short-lived download_url. Each request handles one image, and there is no batch endpoint and no webhooks yet.

HEIC works with op=image_convert only. The page shows a ready cURL, Node and Python example below the tool, and the API docs list every parameter.

## Privacy: what happens to your file

The uploaded photo is used only to make the converted file. It is deleted as soon as the job ends, whether it succeeds or fails.

The converted file is kept for 10 minutes in the free web tool, then deleted. Download links are short-lived. A record of each job is kept, and signed-in users can see their jobs in the dashboard.

Convert only pictures you have the right to use. The Acceptable Use Policy applies to uploads and results.

## Questions

### Can I use a heic to png converter for free?

Yes. The free web tool needs no account. Anonymous use needs a human check (Cloudflare Turnstile), and signed-in users skip it and use credits.

### Is converting HEIC to PNG lossless?

The PNG itself is lossless, so it keeps every pixel the decoder produced. The HEIC was already compressed with some loss when the phone saved it, and that detail does not come back.

### Why is my PNG so much bigger than the HEIC?

PNG stores every pixel without lossy compression, while HEIC compresses photos very efficiently. In our test a 701 KB HEIC became a 2.3 MB PNG. Choose JPG or WebP when file size matters.

### Is there a quality setting for PNG?

No. PNG is lossless, so the quality setting does not apply. It applies to JPEG and lossy WebP.

### Will transparency be kept?

Yes, when the HEIC has an alpha channel and you keep PNG. JPEG has no transparency and fills those areas with a background colour.

### Will my photo come out upright?

Yes. The rotation stored in the HEIC file is applied, so a portrait photo comes out upright. The picture is not cropped.

### What if my HEIC file holds several pictures?

Only the main picture is converted. Burst pictures, the depth map and the small previews are ignored.

### Why was my iPhone photo refused for being too big?

The limit is 16 MP (4096 x 4096) per picture. A 12 megapixel photo fits. A full-resolution photo from a 48 megapixel camera is over the limit and is refused from the file header.

### Can I convert HEIC to JPG or WebP?

Yes. Under 'Convert to', pick JPEG or WebP instead of PNG. There is a page of its own for HEIC to JPG.

### Does the tool make HEIC files?

No. HEIC works as an input format only, and the tool cannot save HEIC.

### How long is my file kept?

The converted file in the free web tool is deleted after 10 minutes. The uploaded photo is deleted as soon as the job ends.

### Can I convert HEIC to PNG in code?

Yes. Send the raw HEIC bytes to the image jobs endpoint with op=image_convert and format=png, then poll the job until it finishes. The page shows cURL, Node and Python examples below the tool.

## Related

- [HEIC to JPG: Convert Your iPhone Photo for Free](https://aiipworld.com/tools/heic-to-jpg/index.md)

Page: https://aiipworld.com/tools/heic-to-png/