How to use it
- Add one or more HEIC files. Nothing is sent anywhere; the decoder runs in this tab.
- Wait for each file to finish. HEIC decoding is slow, and a 48 MP photo can take several seconds.
- Download the PNGs individually or as one zip.
When PNG is worth the size
A PNG of a phone photo is big. A 12 MP photo usually lands somewhere between 15 and 25 MB, compared with 2 to 4 MB as a JPG. For simply sending a photo to someone, that is a poor trade, and HEIC to JPG is the better tool.
PNG earns its keep when the photo is a starting point. Every time a JPG is opened, edited and saved again, it is compressed again and picks up a little more blockiness. A PNG can be saved as often as you like with no loss. So if you are going to crop in one app, add text in another and export a final version at the end, start from PNG and only compress once, at the finish.
Screenshots and screen recordings saved as HEIC are another good case. Text, interface edges and flat colour survive PNG perfectly, where JPG tends to leave faint smudges around letters.
What the PNG will and will not contain
The PNG holds the full-resolution image with rotation applied. It is saved in standard sRGB colour, which is what browsers, most editors and print shops expect. Depth maps from Portrait mode, Live Photo video and the original EXIF metadata are left behind.
HEIC and PNG compared
| HEIC | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| First released | 2015 | 1996 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency | Possible, rarely used | Yes, including soft edges |
| Animation or pages | Bursts and Live Photos | Only as APNG, rarely used |
| Best for | Storing photos on phones | Screenshots, graphics, text and transparency |
| Support | Apple devices; patchy elsewhere | Universal |
Questions people ask
Is HEIC to PNG truly lossless?
The step from decoded HEIC pixels to PNG is lossless. The HEIC itself was already compressed by the camera, so you get an exact copy of what the HEIC contained, not more detail than it had.
Why is my PNG so large?
PNG compresses without throwing anything away, and photographs have a lot of fine texture that does not compress well losslessly. That is the price of being able to edit and re-save without degradation.
Can I make the PNG smaller afterwards?
Yes, the PNG compressor can reduce the colour count, though for photos a high-quality JPG is usually the smaller and better-looking option.