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Get a HEIC to JPG converter software free download for Windows 10 and 11. Convert HEIC to JPG locally on your PC in batch with full color profile support.

   
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In this review, you will:

  1. 1️⃣ Understand what HEIF Image Extensions is, and why it is a viewer, not a converter.
  2. 2️⃣ See the real cost: the extension is free, but HEVC Video Extensions is a separate paid step.
  3. 3️⃣ Learn where it falls short for batch work and saving HEIC as JPG.
  4. 4️⃣ Compare it to SoftOrbits HEIC Converter and other tools before you install anything.
   
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HEIC to JPG Converter Screenshot.
️ Eugene - CEO at SoftOrbits, Candidate of Technical Sciences, has more than 16 years of expertise in software development, photo and multimedia applications, enhancing and transforming digital images and videos.
📅 Last updated on:  2026-07-09

This HEIF Image Extensions review looks at what Microsoft's free codec does well, where it quietly gets in your way, and what to use when you need an actual JPG file instead of a preview. The short version is that HEIF Image Extensions lets Windows show your iPhone photos in the Photos app and File Explorer. It does not turn a .HEIC file into a .JPG you can email, print, or open on a machine that lacks the same codec. That gap is where most of the confusion around the name comes from, and it is the whole reason people keep searching for an alternative.

Disclosure: SoftOrbits makes the HEIC to JPG Converter mentioned later in this article. We tested HEIF Image Extensions on Windows 10 and 11 and judged it on its own merits, including the cases where the built-in extension is all you need and our tool would be overkill.
Our verdict: 3    .

Our rating is 3 out of 5. HEIF Image Extensions is a real, useful, free codec from Microsoft that makes HEIC photos visible on Windows. What holds it back is that it only lets you view files, it usually needs a second paid package to work, and it breaks in ways that are hard to diagnose.

Best for: quickly viewing a handful of HEIC photos in Photos or Explorer, on a home PC with Store access.

Skip if you need to save HEIC as shareable JPG files or convert whole folders at once.

What you will learn
Apply in 5 min Saves 2 hBeginner

What Is HEIF Image Extensions?

TL;DR

HEIF Image Extensions is a free Microsoft Store package that adds a Windows Imaging Component codec so the OS can read the HEIF container used by iPhone .HEIC photos. It lets apps like Photos and File Explorer display the files. It is a viewer component, not a converter, and it does not save a JPG copy.

HEIF Image Extensions at Microsoft Store..

HEIF Image Extensions plugs a decoder into Windows so the system understands the HEIF container, the wrapper Apple uses for the .HEIC and .HEIF photos your iPhone produces. Once it is installed, File Explorer stops showing a blank icon and starts drawing real thumbnails, and the Photos app can open the picture. Any app built on the Windows Imaging Component inherits the same ability, so Paint and some third-party viewers gain HEIC support too. Microsoft distributes it only through the Store, and on its official listing the package installs in under two minutes with no account required.

There is one detail that trips almost everyone up, and it is worth getting straight before you install anything. HEIF is only the container. The actual pixels inside a typical iPhone .HEIC file are compressed with the HEVC video codec, also called H.265. The HEIF extension cannot decode that payload on its own. Microsoft states it plainly on the same Store page, noting that a video extension package must also be installed to view the images inside. So HEIF versus HEVC is not marketing noise. One is the box, the other is the compression inside it, and Windows needs a reader for both.

The core point about HEIF Image Extensions is that it is a rendering codec. It teaches Windows to show HEIC in place. The extension never produces a new file, it does not touch metadata, and it does nothing for programs that do not use the Windows Imaging Component. Viewing a photo and converting a photo are two different jobs, and this extension only does the first one.

Main Features of HEIF Image Extensions

TL;DR

The feature set is narrow by design. It decodes and lightly encodes the HEIF container through the WIC codec, adds HEIC thumbnails and preview to File Explorer, lets the Photos app open the files, and runs silently with no interface of its own. It works on Windows 10 and 11.

Here is what HEIF Image Extensions actually gives you once it is registered.

✔️ HEIF decode and limited encode

reads the .HEIC and .HEIF container through the Windows Imaging Component, with some write support, per Microsoft's own listing.

✔️ File Explorer integration

real thumbnails and preview-pane rendering for HEIC photos instead of the generic file icon.

✔️ Photos app support

the built-in Photos app can open and display HEIC once the codec chain is complete.

✔️ System-wide via WIC

any app built on the Windows Imaging Component, such as Paint, gains the same decode ability with no per-app plugin.

✔️ Container support

handles .HEIC and .HEIF, and the camera-vendor .HIF variant, though forum reports say .HIF can still fail even with both packages installed.

✔️ Windows 10 and 11

shipped as a Store AppxBundle that receives incremental updates over time.

✔️ No interface

it runs in the background with nothing to launch and no settings, which is convenient but also means there is nothing to fix when it misbehaves.

The honest read is that this is a plumbing component, not an app. Everything it does happens behind the scenes so that other software can show a HEIC picture. It has no editor and no export panel. There is nothing to open and nothing to configure. That is by design, and for the narrow job of making photos visible it is fine.

What Does HEIF Image Extensions Pricing and Performance Look Like?

TL;DR

The HEIF extension itself is free. The catch is that most real iPhone photos also need HEVC Video Extensions, a separate package that costs $0.99 as a one-time purchase for most users, with a free OEM-licensed version available only on some PCs. Performance is fine when it works, but reliability complaints are common.

On paper the price is zero, and that is true for the HEIF part. The trap is the second package. To decode the HEVC-compressed pixels inside a normal iPhone .HEIC, Windows needs HEVC Video Extensions as well, and for most people that is a paid Store item. HowToGeek's install walkthrough confirms the two-package reality directly. After the free HEIF extension you also need the separate HEVC Video Extensions package, priced at $0.99, and the old free workaround no longer works. Here is how the three packages line up.

PackagePriceWhat it does
HEIF Image ExtensionFreeDecodes the HEIF container so Windows can read the file
HEVC Video Extensions$0.99, one-timeDecodes the HEVC-compressed pixels inside most .HEIC photos
HEVC Video Extensions from Device ManufacturerFree, OEM-gatedSame decoder, but intended for PCs whose maker pre-licensed it

Why does one of these cost money at all? HEVC is a patent-encumbered codec, so Microsoft pays licensing fees into patent pools and passes the cost on as a small charge instead of absorbing it. Windows Central reported the $0.99 change back in 2018. It is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. A Microsoft Q&A advisor confirms the HEVC extension does not expire once you buy it. There is also a free OEM edition, the one bundled by some PC makers, but it was meant for hardware whose maker already paid the license, so it is not a dependable free path on an arbitrary machine (Windows Latest covers this in the Sources below).

$0.99
one-time cost of HEVC Video Extensions, the separate package most iPhone .HEIC photos need before HEIF Image Extensions can show them
Source

On performance, when both packages are in place, rendering is quick and looks native. The problem is that the pair often is not complete or does not register cleanly. Microsoft's own community forums are full of the same pattern. In one Community Hub thread, a user's HEIC viewing suddenly stopped after transferring iPhone photos, with Windows showing "we can't open this file," and reinstalling the extension did not help. The root cause was the missing HEVC piece. Other threads describe the Store reporting "Installed" while the codec never actually registers, and managed work PCs where Store policy blocks the install entirely with no offline installer to fall back on.

There is a security angle too, and it deserves a calm, factual note rather than alarm.

The Windows Codecs Library behind these Store codecs carried remote-code-execution flaws in 2020. Two of them, CVE-2020-1425 and CVE-2020-1457, were patched together, and a third, CVE-2020-17022, followed in October that year. They were fixed through automatic Store updates, and only PCs with the optional codec installed were exposed. Keeping Windows and your Store codecs current lowers this to a minor concern for most home users. We found no newer HEIF or HEVC extension flaws from 2023 to 2026, though that means not found rather than a clean bill.

2
critical remote-code-execution CVEs that SecPod flagged in Microsoft's 2020 codec-library patch, both delivered as silent Store updates to affected PCs
Source

Pros:

Free for the HEIF part, with a fast install and no account

Adds real HEIC thumbnails and preview across WIC-based apps

One-time $0.99 HEVC purchase, not a recurring fee

Official Microsoft package, updated through the Store

Cons:

Most iPhone photos also need the separate, usually paid HEVC package

Views files only; there is no way to save a JPG

Breaks in confusing ways and can be blocked on managed PCs

Store-only, so no offline installer for restricted environments

How to Use HEIF Image Extensions

Open a HEIC file and let Windows prompt you

Double-click a .HEIC photo in File Explorer, or right-click it and choose Open with then Photos. Windows tells you the HEIF Image Extension is required.

Install HEIF Image Extensions from the Store

Follow the prompt to the Store listing, or go straight to it, and click Get. The package is free and installs in a couple of minutes with no account.

Install HEVC Video Extensions separately

Open the HEVC Video Extensions listing in the Store and install it. For most PCs this is the $0.99 one-time purchase, and it is the piece that decodes the pixels inside a normal iPhone .HEIC.

Reopen the photo in Photos

Open the .HEIC file again. If Windows asks whether you meant to switch apps, confirm Yes so Photos handles HEIC going forward.

Confirm thumbnails in File Explorer

Browse the folder and check that HEIC files now show real thumbnails instead of a blank icon. If they do, the setup is working and no further steps are needed.

Know that this only views, never saves

There is no step here that produces a JPG or PNG on disk. Photos can show the image, but it has no batch "save as JPG" tied to this codec. Producing a converted file on disk is a separate job for a different tool.

HEIC to JPG Converter HEIC to JPG Converter

Get a HEIC to JPG converter software free download for Windows 10 and 11. Convert HEIC to JPG locally on your PC in batch with full color profile support.

   
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Where HEIF Image Extensions Falls Short

TL;DR

The extension views files and nothing more. It cannot save a JPG, and it has neither batch processing nor a command line. It depends on a second paid package, it can break after updates, and it is blocked entirely on Store-restricted PCs. For anyone who needs a real file out the other end, that is a hard limit.

The biggest limit is baked into what the tool is. It renders HEIC in place and stops there. Photos itself offers no batch action to export a folder of HEIC as JPG through this codec, so the moment you need a file you can send to someone, print at a kiosk, or open in older software, the extension has nothing for you. As the same HowToGeek guide notes, viewing and converting are different problems, and Microsoft's extensions solve only the first.

Batch work is not supported here. Nothing handles more than one file's display at a time, and it offers no folder export or command-line switch. If you have a phone dump of a few hundred HEIC photos, this codec does not shorten that job at all. It also cannot crop or resize, because it is a decoder rather than an image editor.
Then there is fragility. The dependency on a second, usually paid HEVC package means the primary use case, seeing your iPhone photos, often fails until you realize a whole other install is missing. On top of that, the codec can stop working after a Windows or Store update, and on managed or enterprise machines where Store access is restricted by policy, you may not be able to install it at all. If you just want a JPG you can keep and share, an offline converter sidesteps every one of these problems at once, which is what the next section is about.

Best Alternative: SoftOrbits HEIC to JPG Converter

TL;DR

SoftOrbits HEIC Converter is a local Windows app that turns HEIC into real JPG or PNG files, in batches, with no paid codec dependency. It closes the exact gap the Microsoft extension leaves open. It is Windows-only and a paid tool past the trial, which we spell out below.

Where the Microsoft extension views, SoftOrbits HEIC Converter converts. You point it at one file or a whole folder, pick an output format such as JPG or PNG, and it writes new files to a destination you choose while leaving the originals untouched. The job runs on your PC, so nothing is uploaded anywhere, and it does not care whether you ever installed the Store codecs, because it decodes HEIC itself. That single difference, a real file on disk instead of an on-screen preview, is what sends most people looking past the built-in viewer in the first place.

   
 Download for Free

Because it is a converter and not a codec, it also picks up the jobs the extension cannot touch. It processes hundreds of files in one pass, reads HEIC and HEIF on the way in, and can resize or crop while it converts. It runs from the command line for scripts and scheduled tasks, so a folder of new phone photos can be converted automatically. It recognizes and keeps HDR and wide-gamut color rather than flattening it. And it doubles as a viewer, so it covers both the "let me see it" and "give me a JPG" needs in one place. If you specifically want PNG output with transparency handling instead of JPG, the same silo has a dedicated HEIC to PNG converter page.

HEIF Image Extensions in Photos

Install two Store packages, pay for one, then open each HEIC in Photos to look at it. To share it, you still have no JPG, so the recipient needs the same codecs too.

SoftOrbits HEIC Converter on Windows

Drop the folder in, pick JPG, and click Start. You get real files you can email or print, and open on any PC, while the work happens on your own machine.

We will be straight about the tradeoffs, because no tool is free of them. SoftOrbits HEIC Converter runs on Windows 10 and 11 only, so there is no Mac, Linux, or mobile build. It is a paid product once you pass the trial, while the Microsoft extension is free or a one-time $0.99. If all you ever do is glance at one or two HEIC photos in Photos, installing a dedicated converter is more than you need, and we would rather you knew that up front.

Pros:

Converts HEIC to real JPG, PNG, or TIFF files you can keep and share

Batch-processes whole folders in a single pass

Works fully offline, with no cloud upload and no paid codec dependency

Runs from the command line for scripts and scheduled jobs

Cons:

Windows 10 and 11 only; no Mac, Linux, or mobile build

A paid tool once the trial ends, unlike the free extension

Overkill if you only ever view one or two photos in Photos

Verdict: Choose SoftOrbits HEIC Converter when you need real JPG files or batch conversion. Stay with the Microsoft extension if you only need to look at the occasional photo.

HEIF Image Extensions vs SoftOrbits HEIC Converter

Here is the side-by-side on the points people actually weigh. The split is not "good versus bad," it is "viewer versus converter," and which one you want depends entirely on whether you need a file at the end.
FeatureHEIF Image ExtensionsSoftOrbits HEIC Converter
Core functionViews HEIC in placeConverts HEIC to a new file
Saves JPG / PNG / TIFFNoYes
Batch foldersNoYes
Command lineNoYes
Works offlineYes, local codecYes, local processing
Paid HEVC dependencyUsually yes, $0.99No
PriceFree plus one-time $0.99Paid past the trial
PlatformWindows 10 and 11Windows 10 and 11

The table makes the divide clear. HEIF Image Extensions wins on price and on being the official, built-in way to see a photo. SoftOrbits HEIC Converter wins on everything that involves producing and reusing a file. It handles batch export and multiple output formats, adds command-line automation, and needs no paid codec. If your need is "show me this picture," the free extension is the right call. If it is "give me JPGs I can use anywhere," the converter is the honest answer.

HEIC to JPG Converter HEIC to JPG Converter

Get a HEIC to JPG converter software free download for Windows 10 and 11. Convert HEIC to JPG locally on your PC in batch with full color profile support.

   
 Download for Free

When HEIF Image Extensions Is Still the Better Pick

TL;DR

For light, occasional viewing, the built-in extension is genuinely the smarter choice. If you just want to open a few HEIC photos in Photos on a home PC, it is free and official, and already most of the way there. Installing a separate converter for that would be more work than the job deserves.

We would not push everyone toward a converter, because for a real slice of people the Microsoft extension is the correct answer. If you occasionally receive a HEIC photo and only want to look at it, the extension plus the one-time HEVC package gets you there for a dollar, and it is the official route Microsoft supports. There is no separate app to learn and nothing new to trust.
It also fits people who never leave the Microsoft ecosystem for these files. If you view photos in Photos, keep them in HEIC, and never need to send them to someone on older software, converting them serves no purpose. And on a personal PC with full Store access, the install is quick and low-friction. The extension earns its place for casual viewing. It only stops being enough when you need a file, a batch, or automation, which is a different job than the one it was built for.

What Other HEIC Alternatives Are There?

TL;DR

Beyond the Microsoft extension and our converter, a few tools cover the middle ground. CopyTrans HEIC adds a right-click convert action, iMazing HEIC Converter does free batch conversion, online converters trade privacy for zero install, and Windows Photos can save one file at a time once the codecs are in.

HEIF Image Extensions is not the only way to deal with HEIC, and it is worth knowing the field before you settle on one. We also considered each of these tools for the top spot and set them aside for concrete reasons. CopyTrans HEIC converts only through the right click, with no batch queue. iMazing needs a separate app rather than a native Windows workflow. Online converters lose points for the privacy trade-off of uploading personal photos, and Windows Photos export handles just one file at a time. Here is where each one still fits.

✔️ CopyTrans HEIC

a free Windows utility that adds a right-click "Convert to JPEG" action straight in Explorer and enables HEIC thumbnails without extra software. It works offline and needs no paid HEVC package, though its output is JPG only. See the CopyTrans HEIC page for details.

✔️ iMazing HEIC Converter

a small free desktop app for Windows and Mac that batch-converts HEIC folders to JPG or PNG while keeping EXIF data. Our iMazing HEIC Converter review covers where it fits.

✔️ Online converters

tools like CloudConvert or Convertio skip the install step. The catch is that you upload personal photos to someone else's server. Free tiers also cap how many files you get per day, which rules them out for private or bulk work.

✔️ Windows Photos export

with both Store codecs installed, Photos can Save As a single HEIC to JPG one file at a time. That works for one photo but not for a folder.

For batch conversion into more output formats, our own HEIC to JPG converter is the most full-featured option here, while iMazing or CopyTrans cover the lighter, free end.

HEIC to JPG Converter HEIC to JPG Converter
HEIF Image Extensions review: honest test of Microsoft's free HEIC viewer, its paid HEVC add-on and limits, plus the best HEIC-to-JPG alternative for Windows.
   
 Download for Free
HEIC to JPG Converter Screenshot.


🙋Frequently Asked Questions

The HEIF Image Extension itself is free from the Microsoft Store. The catch is that most iPhone .HEIC photos also need HEVC Video Extensions, which is a one-time $0.99 purchase for most PCs. A free OEM version exists, but only on hardware whose maker already licensed it, so you cannot count on it.

You need it only if you want to view HEIC photos inside Windows Photos and File Explorer. If your goal is a JPG file you can share or print, you do not need this codec at all. A converter is the more direct path, since it produces a file the extension never creates.

The usual reason is the missing HEVC Video Extensions package, which decodes the pixels inside a .HEIC. Other causes are the Store reporting "Installed" while the codec fails to register, a Windows update breaking it, or Store policy blocking it on a work PC. If it keeps failing, a standalone converter avoids the whole codec chain.

HEIF is the container, the wrapper format your iPhone saves photos in as .HEIC. HEVC, also called H.265, is the codec that compresses the pixels inside that container. Windows needs a reader for both, which is why viewing HEIC often takes two separate Store packages.

Yes, it is an official Microsoft package, and it is safe in the everyday sense. The underlying Windows Codecs Library had three remote-code-execution flaws back in 2020, all patched through automatic Store updates, so keeping Windows current keeps you protected. We found no newer flaws specific to the extension.

The Store extension cannot do this, since it only views files. For batch conversion, a local tool like SoftOrbits HEIC Converter takes a whole folder, outputs JPG or PNG, and runs offline without the paid HEVC dependency. That gets you real files you can use anywhere, in one pass.

Sources