How to Convert HEIC to PNG with CloudConvert

CloudConvert is a browser-based conversion service. It can turn HEIC photos, the default photo format on many iPhones, into PNG files that open in almost any image editor or website uploader. This guide covers the conversion, how to check the result, and how to fix the issues people most often run into.

Before you start

The conversion does not run on your device. Your HEIC files are uploaded to CloudConvert's servers, converted there, and then downloaded back. You need a working internet connection, a current web browser, and the HEIC files saved somewhere your browser can reach, such as a local folder or a connected cloud storage account.

Free use has limits on how many conversions you can run, and larger jobs may need an account or a paid plan. These terms change over time, so check the current plan details on the service before converting a large batch.

Phone photos often contain metadata such as the capture date, device model and GPS location. Before uploading personal or sensitive images, read CloudConvert's current privacy policy and file retention terms rather than assuming how long files are kept. If uploading is not acceptable for your files, use a local converter instead (see the last section).

Confirm that you actually have HEIC files. Depending on how photos are transferred from an iPhone, the phone may convert them to JPEG automatically. Look for the .heic or .heif extension before you start.

Step-by-step instructions

• Open CloudConvert in your browser and choose the HEIC to PNG converter, or set HEIC as the input format and PNG as the output format.
• Click the file selection button and pick one or more HEIC files from your computer. The same control may also let you import from a URL or a connected cloud storage service.
• Check that PNG is set as the output format for every file in the list. If you added several files, each one can have its own target format.
• If you need to change settings, open the options shown next to the file. Available options vary by conversion and can change between versions of the site, so leave anything you are unsure about at its default.
• Start the conversion and wait until each file shows as finished.
• Download the converted PNG files. With several files, the service may offer them individually or as a single archive.
• Keep your original HEIC files until you have checked the PNG output.

If resize options are available, changing the width or height changes the pixel dimensions of the output. To avoid stretched or squashed images, set only one dimension, or make sure the aspect ratio is preserved. PNG uses lossless compression, so there is no quality slider like the one used for JPEG. If a compression level setting is offered, it affects file size and processing time, not how the image looks.

The conversion leaves your HEIC originals unchanged, so you can repeat it with different settings at any time. For regular or very large jobs, CloudConvert also offers an API for automated conversions. That requires an account and is billed according to the service's own terms.

Check the output

• Open the PNG in an image viewer and confirm it displays correctly.
• Check the file properties to confirm the file format is PNG, not only that the extension says .png.
• Compare the pixel dimensions with the original if you did not intend to resize the image.
• Check the orientation, especially for portrait photos taken on a phone.
• Place the original and the PNG side by side on the same screen to compare colors.
• If you need the capture date or location, check whether the metadata was kept. Do not assume it was.

Expect the PNG to be much larger than the HEIC file. HEIC uses efficient lossy compression, while PNG stores every pixel losslessly. PNG holds a single still image. Extra content a HEIC file can contain, such as Live Photo motion, burst frames, depth data or HDR information, is not carried into a standard PNG. Phone photos have no transparency to begin with, and converting to PNG will not add a transparent background.

Common problems and next steps

The file is rejected or the upload fails. Check that the extension is really .heic or .heif and that the file opens on your device. Try converting a single file first, and check whether you have reached a size or conversion limit for your plan.

The image appears rotated. Some HEIC photos store orientation as a separate flag instead of rotating the pixels themselves. If the PNG comes out sideways, rotate it in an image editor and save it again as PNG. Because PNG is lossless, this does not reduce quality.

The colors look duller. iPhone photos often use a wide color space. If the color profile is not kept, or your viewer ignores it, colors can look less saturated. Compare both files in the same color-managed viewer before deciding the conversion is at fault.

The PNG is too large. If you do not need lossless quality or transparency support, JPEG or WebP will produce much smaller files. If you need PNG specifically, reducing the pixel dimensions is the most effective way to cut the file size.

You hit the free limit, or you prefer not to upload photos. Wait for the limit to reset, review the paid options, or convert locally. For example, Preview on macOS can open HEIC files and export them as PNG. A local conversion keeps your files on your own device.