How To Open HEIC Files On Windows 10? The Process & Pro Tips

Have you ever wondered how to open an HEIC file on Windows 10? If you've ever received images from an iPhone user or you're an iPhone/iPad user yourself but you don't have a Mac to convert HEIC to PDF, JPG, or other formats in order to view and share them, you may have come across this scenario. The problem here is that Windows 10 does not natively support this image format (except with the Photos app) since it was created by Apple. However, there are several methods you can use to open and view HEIC files in Windows 10, and that's what we're about to show you.

How to Open HEIC Files in Windows 10

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can use an application called UPDF for iOS to move HEIC files to your computer without any cables. UPDF is a comprehensive file and folder management utility for iOS and iPadOS devices. It offers various useful tools such as compression, annotations, merging, etc. for PDF files, and it also supports file conversion. In this instance, we'll use it to transfer HEIC photos from your iPhone or iPad to your Windows 10 PC, where you can view them with the Photos app without conversion.

Step 1: Transfer Files from iPhone/iPad to Windows 10 with UPDF

After downloading UPDF from the App Store and installing it on your device, click the "+" symbol. Select "Files" or "Photos" and then choose the HEIC images to import into UPDF - click "Add" when you're done.

Now click the "+" symbol again, and this time, select "Computer" to reveal a URL on your iPhone screen.

Type this URL into a browser tab (Edge or Chrome) on your Windows 10 computer, and make sure both the computer and the iDevice are on the same Wi-Fi network.

You will now be able to see your HEIC images inside UPDF - you can use the download icon at the beginning of every file to save them into a local folder.

Step 2: View the HEIC Images in the Photos Application on Windows 10

Actually, now Windows 10 supports to open HEIC on Windows with the Photos app. After you download the image, you can click to open it directly with the Photos app.

Alternatively, you can right-click each image and open with Photos to see it.

Note: See the instructions in the subheading "Tips to Open HEIC File on Windows" near the bottom of this article for how to install the HEIF extension for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

How to Open HEIC File on Windows by Converting it to PDF

If you don't have the Photos app installed on your Windows 10 PC and you don't need it, don't worry. We'll show you how to convert HEIC to PDF with UPDF so Windows 10 can open them as PDFs in the Edge browser or any default PDF viewer installed on the computer. Just follow the steps shown here:

Convert Photos to PDF in UPDF and Transfer to PC

Step 1: Import the HEIC Photos to UPDF

As shown in the previous process, click + and choose Photos or Files to select and add HEIC images to UPDF.

Step 2: Convert Photos to PDF

Use the checkbox on the top right to go into multi-file selection mode. Choose your images.

Click the More (...) menu and choose "Convert to PDF".

Step 3: Open the PDF on Windows

Now you can share the PDF documents by long-press the file and choose "Email". And email the PDF to your computer.

After download the PDF document, you can view the PDF images in any default PDF application or in the Edge browser.

Tips to Open HEIC File on Windows

The Photos app offers support for HEIC files in Windows 10 and Windows 11, but you'll also need the HEIF extension for this to work. If you try the method above to import HEIC to Windows with UPDF, you'll need to follow these instructions to view them without conversion.

1. Double-click an HEIC image to open in Photos if that's your default image application - if not, right-click and open with Photos.
2. If you don't have the HEIF extension, you'll see two messages on your screen: "The HEIF Image Extension is required to display this file." message along with a linked text message saying: "Download and install it now." - click that link.
3. Confirm on the notification pop-up that you'd like to switch apps.

Conclusion

If you want to open the HEIC file on Windows 10, UPDF is the best choice for you. It has two different ways to open HEIC, you can select one which is more convenient. Of cause, we have also provided the third method for you to choose. Open the HEIC file on your Windows 10 with these methods now and have a happy trail for UPDF.