HEICPix / HEIC for Gmail
Attaching HEIC photos in Gmail
Gmail accepts .heic attachments from your iPhone — but recipients on Windows, Android, or older devices can't preview them. Convert to JPG first and everyone sees the photo inline.
The fix
Drop your HEIC into HEICPix, pick JPG, then attach the converted file in Gmail. Works in Gmail Web, Android, iOS, and for recipients using Outlook, Yahoo, or any other client.
Convert HEIC for Gmail →Why does Gmail not preview HEIC?
Gmail's inline image preview is generated server-side using Google's image processing pipeline. While Google Photos supports HEIC, Gmail's preview pipeline doesn't — attachments show as downloadable files instead of inline images.
That means recipients can't see the photo without downloading and opening separately — and many of them can't even open HEIC after downloading (Windows without codec, older Android, work laptops).
Inline embed in Gmail compose
Once converted to JPG, you can also embed photos in the email body (click the inline-image button in compose, or drag the file directly into the message text). HEIC can't be embedded — only attached. JPG can do both.
Pro tip: smaller files attach faster
Gmail's attachment limit is 25MB. iPhone HEIC photos average 1.5-3MB each, but RAW or burst-mode files can hit 10MB+. Converting to JPG at quality 0.85 typically drops file size by 30-40%, letting you attach more photos per email.
Use the quality slider in HEICPix to pick a sweet spot. 0.85 is visually identical to the original for most photos.