HEIC to AVIF Converter
Convert HEIC photos from an iPhone to AVIF, with a quality setting.
Drag & Drop files here
or click to select files
Best under 50MB / 50 files
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This converter turns HEIC photos into AVIF files. HEIC is the format an iPhone saves photos in, and most web browsers cannot display it. AVIF is about as compact and opens in every current browser, so it is the natural choice when iPhone photos are going on a website. Add your photos, choose a quality and download the AVIF files. The work is done in your browser and the photos are not uploaded.
How to Convert HEIC to AVIF
- Add the photos: drag one or more .heic or .heif files into the box above or click to choose them.
- Set the quality: a higher setting keeps more detail and gives a larger file.
- Convert: press the button and wait while each photo is encoded. A full-size photo takes around ten seconds.
- Download: save each AVIF, or all of them as a ZIP.
HEIC and AVIF Compared
| HEIC | AVIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | HEVC (H.265) | AV1 |
| Licensing | Patent licences required | Royalty-free |
| Web browsers | Safari only | Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge |
| Made by | iPhone and iPad cameras | Image tools and converters |
| File size | Small | Small, similar at the same quality |
Both formats store pictures in the same kind of container and differ in the video codec that compresses them. HEVC needs patent licences, which is why browsers other than Safari never adopted HEIC. AV1 was developed by a group of technology companies to be free of such fees, and browsers took up AVIF quickly.
When to Choose AVIF, JPG or PNG
- AVIF: for photos on a website, where small files matter and visitors use current browsers.
- JPG: for email, documents, printing services and older software. It opens everywhere. Use the HEIC to JPG Converter.
- PNG: when you need a lossless copy for editing and file size does not matter. Use the HEIC to PNG Converter.
What the Converter Does Not Keep
The AVIF holds the picture only. The date, camera details and GPS location stored in the HEIC are not copied across, which is useful if the photos are going online. A Live Photo is converted as its still image, and the output uses standard 8-bit colour.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert HEIC to AVIF?
Add your .heic photos to the converter above, set the quality and press convert. Each photo is decoded and encoded again as AVIF in your browser, and you can download the files one by one or as a ZIP.
Why does the conversion take several seconds?
AVIF is slow to encode. It gets its small file sizes by searching hard for the best way to describe each part of the picture. A 12-megapixel phone photo takes around ten seconds on a typical computer and longer on a phone. The work runs in the background, so the page stays usable.
Will the AVIF be smaller than the HEIC?
Not always. HEIC is already an efficient format, so the two are close at the same quality. At a high quality setting the AVIF can come out larger than the HEIC. The gain from AVIF is that browsers can display it, not that it is much smaller.
Is quality lost?
Some, as with any conversion between two lossy formats. The HEIC is decoded to full pixels and compressed again. At a quality setting of 80 or above the difference is hard to see. Keep the original HEIC if you may want to edit the photo later.
Is HEIF the same as HEIC?
HEIF is the name of the container format, and HEIC is the name Apple uses for HEIF files that hold HEVC-compressed images. An iPhone photo ending in .heic is a HEIF file. The converter accepts both .heic and .heif files.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Both the HEIC decoder and the AVIF encoder run in your browser, so the photos do not leave your device.