How to Convert HEIC to PDF with CloudConvert

HEIC is the default photo format on many recent iPhones and some other devices. Many people, apps and upload forms can't open it. Turning the photos into a PDF gives you a file that almost any device can open. This guide covers converting HEIC images to PDF with CloudConvert, an online file conversion service, and checking the result.

Before you start

CloudConvert runs in your web browser, and your files are uploaded to the service and converted there, not on your own computer. You need an internet connection, and the photos leave your device during the process. Read these points before uploading anything:

• Confirm the files are actually HEIC. They should end in .heic or .heif. Some transfer methods from a phone convert photos to JPEG automatically, and a JPEG needs a different conversion.
• Keep your originals. The conversion creates new PDF files and doesn't change the source photos, but keep a backup copy anyway.
• Check the current usage terms. CloudConvert limits free use, and the limits and paid plans can change, so look at what currently applies to your account before converting a large batch.
• Review privacy and file handling yourself. Photos can contain faces, documents and location data. Read CloudConvert's current privacy policy and data retention terms. If those terms don't fit your files, use a local tool instead.
• Decide on the layout. You can turn each photo into its own PDF or put several photos into one multi-page PDF. Know which you want before you start.

Step-by-step instructions

These steps describe the general browser workflow. Button labels and option names can change between versions of the site, so follow what the page shows if it differs.

• 1. Open CloudConvert in your browser and go to its HEIC to PDF converter, or open the general converter.
• 2. Add your files with the file selection button. Choose files from your computer, or from a cloud storage source if the page offers one and you have connected it.
• 3. Check the target format next to each file and make sure it is set to PDF.
• 4. Open the conversion options if a settings control is shown. The defaults work for most photos. Change a setting only if you understand what it does and need a specific result.
• 5. If you added several photos, choose whether to get separate PDFs or one combined PDF. If a merge option is offered, turn it on to get a single document. The page order usually follows the order of the file list, so arrange the files first.
• 6. Start the conversion and wait until every file shows as finished.
• 7. Download the result. Depending on how many files you converted, you may get individual PDFs or a single combined file.

You can safely redo the conversion. If the result isn't what you want, change the options or the file order and convert again from your original HEIC files.

Check the output

Open the downloaded PDF in your usual PDF viewer and compare it with the original photos before you share or submit it.

• Page count and order: each photo should appear once, in the order you intended.
• Orientation: check that no page is rotated or upside down compared with how the photo looks in your gallery.
• Sharpness and color: zoom in on detailed areas, such as text in a photographed document, and compare with the original.
• File size: the PDF may be larger than the HEIC files, because HEIC uses efficient compression and the PDF may store the images differently.
• Searchability: the PDF contains images, not text. Text in the photos can't be searched or selected unless you run OCR separately.
• Metadata: check whether details such as location or capture date carried over into the PDF, especially if you plan to share it publicly.

Common problems and next steps

File not accepted or conversion fails: confirm the file really is HEIC and not a renamed file or a JPEG copy. Try converting one file on its own to find out whether a single photo is causing the problem. If the photo was exported from a phone or cloud library, export it again in its original format.

Pages rotated incorrectly: some viewers apply the orientation stored in a photo's metadata, and other tools ignore it. Rotate the original photo in an editor, save it, and convert again. Or rotate the affected pages in a PDF editor.

Wrong page order in a combined PDF: rearrange or rename the files before uploading, then convert again. The original files are unchanged, so you don't lose anything by redoing it.

PDF too large to email or upload: compress the finished PDF with a PDF compression tool. CloudConvert or another app you trust can do this. Afterwards, check that the photos are still readable.

Usage limit reached: wait until your allowance resets or review the current plan options. For a large batch, converting in smaller groups makes it easier to track which files are finished.

You'd rather not upload the photos: use an app on your own computer that can open HEIC images and export or print them to PDF. Check that your operating system has HEIC support installed first. This keeps the files on your device, but check the output the same way as described above.