How to Convert PNG to HEIC: Complete Guide

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the image format Apple devices use by default since iOS 11. It is based on the HEVC video codec and typically stores the same photo in half the space a JPG needs — and 3-5x less than PNG.

Why convert PNG to HEIC?

• Storage savings. A 5 MB PNG photo usually becomes a 1-1.5 MB HEIC with no visible quality loss.
• Apple ecosystem. HEIC files integrate natively with the iPhone and iPad photo library.
• 16-bit color and transparency. Unlike JPG, HEIC supports an alpha channel and deep color, so you lose less than you would converting PNG to JPG.

When NOT to convert

Keep PNG if you need pixel-perfect lossless graphics: screenshots with text, logos, diagrams, or images you plan to edit repeatedly. HEIC is lossy by default, and every re-save loses a little quality. Also note that Windows needs the (free) HEIF Image Extensions to open HEIC files, and many web browsers cannot display them.

How to convert PNG to HEIC online

1. Open the PNG to HEIC converter.
2. Click "Choose Files" and pick your PNG images — or just drag them onto the page.
3. Make sure HEIC is selected as the target format and press "Convert".
4. Download the result. Done — no registration, no watermarks.

Technical details

Converters.live encodes HEIC at quality 92 — visually indistinguishable from the source for photographs. Transparency in your PNG is preserved (HEIC supports alpha). Conversion runs server-side and the file is deleted immediately after you download it.

Why is PNG so much bigger than HEIC to begin with?

PNG is lossless — it keeps every pixel exactly, which is ideal for screenshots and graphics but expensive for photographs, where there is little repetition for PNG's compression to exploit. HEIC uses HEVC's modern, lossy intra-frame prediction, discarding detail the eye is unlikely to notice. That is precisely why converting a PNG photo to HEIC saves so much space: you are moving from a format built for exact reproduction to one built for visually-equivalent compression.

When to keep the PNG instead

If the image is a screenshot, a diagram, or anything with sharp edges, flat color or text, keep it as PNG — HEIC's lossy compression will blur fine detail that a lossless format preserves perfectly, and photographic-oriented compression handles graphics poorly. Reach for PNG-to-HEIC specifically for photographic content where the bigger goal is saving iPhone or iCloud storage space.