HEICPix / How it works

How HEICPix works

Drag, pick format, save. Four steps from iPhone HEIC to a JPG or PNG anyone can open.

  1. 1

    Drop your HEIC photos

    Drag .heic files from your iPhone (or Files app, Downloads folder, anywhere) into the drop zone. Or tap to open the file picker.

  2. 2

    Pick JPG or PNG

    Use the toggle above the drop zone to pick your output format. JPG is smaller and best for sharing. PNG is lossless and best for editing or transparency.

  3. 3

    Watch them convert

    Each file converts in your browser's background using WebAssembly. You'll see a progress bar per file. Most photos finish in under a second.

  4. 4

    Save your converted files

    When conversion finishes, you'll see a 'Save All' bar with three options: Download as .zip (works everywhere), Save to folder (Chrome/Edge — saves directly to a folder you pick), or Share (mobile-friendly — opens your phone's share sheet).

Why client-side conversion?

Traditional "online converter" tools upload your photos to a server, run the conversion there, then send the result back. This means:

  • Your photos sit on someone else's hard drive (forever, in many cases)
  • The transfer is slower than processing locally — you're bandwidth-bound
  • The service has to monetize the cost somehow — ads, limits, or paid tiers
  • If they leak data, you have no way to know

HEICPix runs the conversion inside your browser tab using WebAssembly (specifically libheif-js, a JavaScript port of the industry-standard libheif library). Your photos are never sent anywhere. You can verify this in Chrome DevTools by opening the Network tab while converting — zero outbound file uploads.

Quality and format details

JPG output: Quality 0.92, the same default Apple uses when iPhone Photos exports to JPG. Files are typically 60-80% the size of the original HEIC, since HEIC is more efficient.

PNG output: Lossless compression. Every pixel is preserved exactly. Files are typically 3-5× the size of the original HEIC. Use PNG only when you need exact pixel data (editing, transparency, archival).

EXIF metadata: Currently stripped during conversion. Preservation is on the roadmap.

Try it now →