How to open iPhone HEIC photos and play HEVC videos on Windows

Last updated: 8 October 2026

Quick answer: install HEIF Image Extensions (free) and HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store. After that, File Explorer shows thumbnails and the Photos app and Media Player open iPhone photos and videos normally. VLC can also play iPhone video without any extension.

Why iPhone files don't open on Windows

Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Format) and record video as HEVC, also called H.265, in a .MOV file. Both take roughly half the space of the older JPEG and H.264 formats at the same quality, which is why Apple uses them. Windows supports them, but the decoders are separate downloads.

Open HEIC photos

Open the Microsoft Store and search for HEIF Image Extensions.
Install it (it is free).
Restart File Explorer or sign out and in. Thumbnails appear, and Photos, Paint and most other apps can open .HEIC files.

Play HEVC videos

In the Microsoft Store, search for HEVC Video Extensions.
Install it. Microsoft charges a small fee for it, around one US dollar. Some PCs already have a free version from the manufacturer, listed as HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer. If it is installed, you do not need to buy anything.
iPhone videos now play in Media Player, Photos and Clipchamp.

Free alternative: VLC media player plays HEVC on its own, without the extension.

Converting to JPEG or MP4

You do not have to convert anything to keep or watch your files on Windows, and every conversion of a compressed file loses a little quality. If you need JPEGs for a website or an older program, Paint and the Photos app can Save as JPEG once the HEIF extension is installed. For video, a free converter such as HandBrake can re-encode to H.264 MP4.

Making the iPhone produce JPEG and H.264 instead

For future photos and videos: on the iPhone, open Settings › Camera › Formats and choose Most Compatible. The camera then records JPEG and H.264. Files are larger, and some features, such as 4K at 60 fps, need High Efficiency.
For transfers: Settings › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC › Automatic converts as files are copied. It is convenient, but the conversion is also the most common cause of failed imports on Windows, so Keep Originals is usually the better choice when you are archiving.

What PhotoFroggy does

By default PhotoFroggy exports the files exactly as the iPhone stores them (HEIC and HEVC included, byte for byte), because the original is the best copy to keep. With the two extensions above installed, everything it exports opens on Windows.

If the photos are going somewhere that can't open HEIC (an older program, a printing service, a website upload), tick Convert HEIC photos to JPEG when exporting. PhotoFroggy saves JPEGs that keep the date, location and colour profile. The conversion uses Windows' own HEIF support, so the HEIF and HEVC extensions above need to be installed; videos stay as they are.