Glossary
What is a HEIC file, and how to send one.
A HEIC file is a photo saved in HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format, which an iPhone records when its camera is set to High Efficiency. It looks the same as a JPEG, but some older computers, apps and websites cannot open it, which is why it is the format people most often need to convert.
Where it comes from.
Apple’s support page calls the format HEIF; the files end in .heic. In Settings, Camera, Formats, an iPhone records High Efficiency (HEIF photos and HEVC video) or Most Compatible (JPEG and H.264).
When photos move off an iPhone over a cable, Apple says they may be converted to JPEG on the way unless Keep Originals is on, under Settings, Apps, Photos.
Sending one to a client.
If the client will edit or archive it, send the HEIC. If they will post it, print it at a shop or open it on an older computer, send a JPEG. Converting costs a little quality, since a JPEG compresses again, and at a high quality setting nobody will see it.
On a DropYourFiles link.
On DropYourFiles a HEIC gets a JPEG preview when you upload it, so your client sees it in any browser. After approval they can download the original HEIC or a 1600 px JPEG for screens.
Free up to 5 GB. No card.
Questions.
How do I stop my iPhone saving HEIC?
Settings, Camera, Formats, then Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPEG from then on; the ones already taken stay HEIC.
Is HEIC lower quality than JPEG?
Not to the eye. It is a newer way of compressing a photo, made to keep the same picture in a smaller file.
Does converting HEIC to JPEG lose quality?
A little, because the JPEG compresses the picture again. At a high quality setting it does not show.
Where this comes from.
- Apple Support, Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices, read October 29, 2026.
- Apple Support, About the iPhone camera formats Most Compatible and High Efficiency, read October 29, 2026.
Keep reading.
- How to send photos to clients without losing quality
- How to share raw photos with a client
- What is a RAW file in photography
- Web size vs high resolution
- What is a watermark on a photo
- What is proofing in photography
More in the glossary, or see what DropYourFiles does.
Send your client one link for the whole job.
Free up to 5 GB. No card. Your client never makes an account.