Convert HEIC to PNG — Fix iPhone Photos for Design Workflows
HEIC photos from iPhone look great on Apple devices but break completely in design tools. Figma, Canva, CSS background-image, HTML <img> tags, and Photoshop (without a plugin) all reject HEIC. Converting to PNG makes iPhone photos work everywhere in the web stack — no plugins, no codec installs, no broken image icons.
HEIC vs PNG — Format Comparison
| Feature | HEIC (input) | PNG (output) |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container | Portable Network Graphics |
| Type | Raster, lossy (H.265-based) | Raster, lossless |
| Compression | Lossy, ~50% smaller than JPG | Lossless (deflate) |
| Transparency | Supported | Full alpha channel (8-bit) |
| Browser support | Limited (Apple ecosystem only) | Universal |
| File size (typical) | Very small (~50% of JPG) | Medium–large (lossless retention) |
| Best for | iPhone/iPad photo storage | Graphics, logos, transparency, web images |
| Convertlo output quality | Decoded at full HEIC quality | Lossless PNG — no quality loss |
HEIC and the Web Design Workflow Problem
When Apple switched iPhones to HEIC in iOS 11, the goal was storage efficiency — HEIC files are roughly half the size of equivalent JPEGs. That works great within Apple's ecosystem. The problem starts the moment an iPhone photo enters a design or web workflow. Figma only accepts JPEG, PNG, GIF, SVG, and WebP. When a designer drags an iPhone photo into Figma, they get a broken image placeholder. The same happens in Canva, Adobe XD, and Sketch without an extra plugin.
On the web side, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge do not support HEIC in HTML <img> tags or CSS background-image. Safari on recent Apple devices can display it, but your users aren't all on Safari. Converting to PNG produces a file that every browser, every design tool, and every image viewer handles natively — no plugins required on either end.
- 🎨 Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD import PNG natively — not HEIC, no exceptions without plugins
- 🌐 CSS background-image and HTML img tags work with PNG — across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
- 🚫 No broken images in web projects — PNG is universally rendered in every browser
- ✂️ PNG keeps full quality and alpha channel support — transparent backgrounds work correctly
- 🖥️ Works in Photoshop without the HEIC plugin — save the $5 plugin cost
How to Convert HEIC to PNG
Click "Convert Now" to open the image converter with HEIC → PNG pre-selected.
Drag and drop your .heic files or click to browse. Batch mode handles multiple files.
heic2any decodes the HEIC in your browser — no upload, completely private.
Your PNG downloads immediately, ready to drag into Figma, Canva, or your web project.
Features
Design Tool Ready
Output PNGs import into Figma, Canva, Photoshop, and Sketch without any plugin.
100% Private
Photos never leave your device. heic2any decodes entirely in your browser.
Lossless Output
PNG preserves the full quality of the HEIC — no additional compression applied.
Batch Convert
Convert multiple HEIC photos to PNG in a single session.
Free
No account, no fee, no watermarks. Unlimited conversions.
Works on Mobile
Convert directly on your iPhone or any device in a browser.
Key Questions About HEIC to PNG, Answered
Direct answers structured for AI extraction, voice search, and featured snippets.
Does converting HEIC to PNG improve the image quality?
No — PNG can't recover detail that HEIC's lossy compression already discarded when the photo was taken or exported. What converting to PNG does give you is a lossless copy from this point forward: the PNG won't lose any further quality no matter how many times it's opened, edited, or re-saved, which isn't true of a lossy format like HEIC or JPG.
- PNG preserves the HEIC's pixels exactly — no further compression loss is added
- It can't restore detail that HEIC's original compression already removed
- Re-saving the PNG repeatedly won't degrade it further, unlike a lossy format
- For the best possible quality, the original camera file (before HEIC encoding) is always the better source
Why is the PNG file so much larger than the HEIC?
HEIC uses efficient lossy compression to keep photos small. PNG is lossless — it stores every pixel without discarding anything, which takes considerably more space for photographic content. Converting from HEIC to PNG commonly produces a file 3-10x larger, even though no new image data has been added. This is simply the cost of lossless storage for a photo.
- HEIC: lossy, optimized for small file sizes
- PNG: lossless, which means larger files for photographic content
- A 3-10x size increase is normal and doesn't indicate a problem
- If file size matters, WebP can offer lossless storage closer to HEIC's size
Will transparency carry over from HEIC to PNG?
PNG has reliable, fully-supported alpha-channel transparency — if your converted file has transparent areas, they'll display correctly almost everywhere. The catch is on the HEIC side: HEIC's alpha-channel support is inconsistent across devices and apps, so many HEIC photos don't actually contain real transparency to begin with, even if you'd expect them to. Converting to PNG preserves whatever transparency exists in the source — it can't add transparency that wasn't there.
- PNG transparency is well-supported and reliable once converted
- Whether there's anything to preserve depends on the HEIC's own (inconsistent) alpha support
- Most ordinary photos are fully opaque regardless of file format
- Never save a transparent image as JPG — transparent areas become a solid colour (usually white)
When should I convert HEIC to PNG instead of WebP?
PNG is the safer choice when compatibility matters most — it's supported everywhere without exception, including older software, design tools, and platforms that may not fully support WebP. WebP is the better choice when file size matters, since WebP's lossless mode is typically smaller than PNG while still preserving every pixel.
- PNG: maximum compatibility — works in any image viewer, editor, or platform
- WebP: smaller lossless files, ideal for web delivery and storage savings
- For design assets going into older software, PNG remains the safer bet
- If unsure, PNG is the more universally accepted option
Go Deeper: HEIC to PNG Resources
In-depth articles to help you understand the formats, pick the right settings, and get the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
<img> tags. Safari on recent iOS and macOS versions can display HEIC, but Chrome, Firefox, and Edge cannot — which means a large portion of your users would see a broken image. Convert to PNG or WebP for web use. PNG gives you the best compatibility across all browsers and devices.