Skip to content
ImageConverter

Secure server conversion

HEIC to AVIF Converter

Convert an iPhone HEIC photo into AVIF for the web. The two formats are closer relatives than their names suggest — both use the same file structure, differing in the compression inside. Converting keeps the photo's extra colour depth, removes its location data, and made the file about 44% smaller in testing.

Deleted automatically Uploads removed within 30 minutes

Drag and drop your HEIC images here

Add several at once. Each file is processed and then deleted from our server.

Up to 20 MB per file Batch ready

70
Smaller file More detail
Presets:

Higher keeps more detail; lower makes a smaller file. Applies to images you add after changing it.

Step by step

How to convert HEIC to AVIF in 3 steps

  1. Add your HEIC photo

  2. Keep quality at 70 or above

    Keep quality at 70 or above — this is a second round of compression, so it is worth being gentle.

  3. Download your AVIF

Format comparison

HEIC vs AVIF

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container)

Lossy

The format iPhones and iPads save photos in by default, using HEVC compression to keep files small.

  • Much smaller than JPG at similar quality
  • The default on Apple devices, so no setting is needed
  • Many Windows apps, websites and upload forms cannot open it

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format)

Lossy or lossless

The newest widely supported web format, built on the AV1 video codec and designed for the smallest files.

  • Usually the smallest file at a given visual quality
  • Supported by current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari
  • Slow to encode, and unsupported by much older software

Siblings in the same container

HEIC and AVIF are both built on HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format. HEIF is the container — the structure that holds image data, transparency, depth maps and so on. What differs is the codec inside:

  • HEIC holds images compressed with HEVC, a video codec with patent licensing attached. Apple adopted it for iPhone photos in 2017.
  • AVIF holds images compressed with AV1, a royalty-free video codec developed by an industry alliance that includes Google, Mozilla, Microsoft and Apple.

That licensing difference is the practical story. Chrome, Firefox and Edge do not display HEIC at all — only Safari does — while AVIF is displayed by every current major browser, Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge alike. Converting swaps the codec inside a familiar box so your photo can go online and be seen by everyone.

Colour depth is kept

Recent iPhones can capture 10 bits per colour channel. AVIF can store more than 8 bits too, and a 10-bit HEIC converted here became a 12-bit AVIF — the extra precision survives. Converting to JPG or WebP would round it down to 8 bits.

This is a second round of lossy compression

HEIC is already lossy, and AVIF is lossy too, so converting means compressing a compressed photo again. Some additional detail is always lost when that happens. At the default setting of 70 it is difficult to see, but it is a real cost, which is why the default is higher than for most AVIF conversions. If the photo will be edited further, keep the HEIC as the original.

Quality

Quality and file size

File size

AV1 is generally more efficient than HEVC, so the same photo usually becomes smaller. Measured on a real HEIC photograph at the default setting: 62 KB → 35 KB, 44% smaller.

  • 70, the default — a sensible balance for a photo that has already been compressed once.
  • 80–90 — for photos that will be shown large or examined closely.
  • Below 60 — best avoided here; the second generation of compression becomes visible sooner than it would on an original.

Location and camera data are removed

iPhone photos record the date and time, camera settings and often the GPS location where the photo was taken. None of that is carried into the AVIF. A real HEIC photo carrying 44 metadata fields produced an AVIF with none — useful before publishing photos online.

If you need those details for your own records, keep the HEIC. The metadata viewer shows what a photo contains.

When HEIC to AVIF makes sense

  • Publishing iPhone photos on a website at the smallest size modern browsers accept.
  • Keeping 10-bit colour in a web-deliverable format, which JPG and WebP cannot do.
  • Removing location data before photos go online.
  • Blogs, galleries and portfolios built around modern image formats.

AVIF, WebP or JPG?

  • AVIF — smallest, keeps extra colour depth, displayed by every current major browser.
  • WebP — 8-bit, slightly larger, supported more widely outside browsers.
  • JPG — opens absolutely everywhere, 8-bit, larger. The choice for sending photos to people.

Sending photos to other people

AVIF is excellent on the web, but outside browsers support is still uneven — some image viewers, office software and older phones cannot open it. For photos you are emailing or sharing directly, HEIC to JPG remains the safe choice.

What happens to your file

Browsers cannot decode HEIC, so this runs on our server. Your upload is deleted the moment conversion finishes, the result is deleted as you download it, and anything abandoned is swept automatically. Photos are often personal; nothing is kept a second longer than needed.

Privacy

What happens to your file

This tool runs on our server, so it works the same on every phone and computer. Your file is uploaded, and this is exactly what happens to it:

  • Stored outside the public web root under a random name, never under your file's name.
  • Processed, with the original upload deleted immediately — whether it succeeded or failed.
  • The result sits behind a signed link that only you receive, which stops working after 20 minutes, and the file is deleted the moment you download it.
  • Anything never collected is deleted automatically within 30 minutes.
  • The image itself is never logged or kept. If a conversion fails, we record the formats involved and the error — not the file.
  • Camera metadata, including any GPS coordinates recording where a photo was taken, is removed from the result. Only the rotation needed to show the image the right way up is kept.

Questions & answers

HEIC to AVIF: frequently asked questions

Are HEIC and AVIF related?

Yes. Both use the HEIF container; HEIC holds HEVC-compressed images and AVIF holds AV1-compressed ones. HEVC carries patent licensing, and Chrome, Firefox and Edge do not display HEIC — only Safari does. AV1 is royalty-free, and AVIF is displayed by every current major browser.

How much smaller will my photo be?

Usually noticeably smaller, since AV1 is generally more efficient than HEVC. A real HEIC photo went from 62 KB to 35 KB at the default setting — 44% smaller.

Does it keep my iPhone's 10-bit colour?

Yes. A 10-bit HEIC became a 12-bit AVIF, so the extra precision survives. JPG and WebP would reduce it to 8 bits.

Is quality lost?

A little. Both formats are lossy, so this compresses an already-compressed photo again. At the default of 70 the difference is hard to see, but keep the HEIC if you will edit the photo further, and avoid settings below about 60.

Is my location data removed?

Yes. Date, camera settings and GPS location are not carried into the AVIF — a real HEIC with 44 metadata fields produced an AVIF with none.

Can I send AVIF photos to people?

You can, but not everyone will be able to open them — support outside browsers is still uneven. For sharing directly, HEIC to JPG is safer; AVIF is best for websites.

Keep going

Related image tools

View all tools

HEIC & HEIF to JPG Converter

Convert HEIC and HEIF photos to JPG so any device can open them — iPhone photos and .heif files alike. Free, no account, files deleted immediately.

On our server

HEIC to WebP Converter

Convert iPhone HEIC photos to WebP for the web. Keeps most of HEIC's size advantage, unlike JPG. Files deleted immediately after conversion.

On our server

HEIC to PNG Converter

Convert iPhone HEIC photos to lossless PNG. Best when you plan to edit the image. Files are deleted immediately after conversion.

On our server

AVIF to JPG Converter

Convert AVIF images to JPG so older software can open them. Free, no sign-up, and it works the same on every phone and computer.

On our server