CopyTrans HEIC 2.0.3.0

If you have ever copied photos off an iPhone and found that Windows shows blank icons, a "can't open this file" message, or nothing at all, you have run into HEIC.

It is the photo format Apple devices use by default, and a standard Windows setup does not know how to read it out of the box.

CopyTrans HEIC is the quickest free fix. It teaches Windows to show HEIC pictures like normal photos and lets you convert them to the universally supported JPG format with a single right-click - no photo app to open, no files uploaded to a website.

Why Windows Will Not Open Your HEIC Photos

HEIC (short for High Efficiency Image File) is the format iPhones and iPads have shot in since iOS 11.

It squeezes a photo into roughly half the size of the same picture as a JPG while keeping the quality, so your phone fits twice as many shots in the same space.

The catch is that Windows does not include HEIC support by default.

To open these files natively you normally have to add two pieces from Microsoft - the free HEIF Image Extensions and the HEVC Video Extensions (the codec that does the actual decoding, which usually costs a small fee in the Store).

Our guide on how to get the HEVC extension for free covers the workaround, and How to Open HEVC, HEIC and HEIF Files walks through the whole picture.

CopyTrans HEIC skips that shopping trip. Install it once and Windows just handles HEIC, no Store purchase required.

What CopyTrans HEIC Actually Does

It works quietly in the background, more like a plug-in than a program. There is no window to open and no menu to learn - everything happens right inside File Explorer and Microsoft Photos.

Once installed, your HEIC files show real thumbnail previews in folders, exactly the way JPEGs do. It uses the same kind of built-in format support Windows already has for camera RAW files (the technology behind the Raw Image Extension for Nikon and Canon photos), so a HEIC picture behaves like any other image on your PC.

When you need a JPG - to email a photo, upload it, or drop it into a document - right-click the file and choose Convert to JPEG.

It handles up to 100 photos at once, keeps the original date and camera details (the EXIF data) intact, and does the whole job on your computer, so your pictures never leave your PC the way they would with an online converter. It can also print HEIC photos directly and insert them into Microsoft Office documents (Office 2010 and newer).

How to View and Convert HEIC Files

The whole thing takes under a minute:

1. Install CopyTrans HEIC from the download on this page.
2. Double-click any HEIC photo - it now opens straight away in Microsoft Photos.
3. To make a JPG copy, right-click the file (or a whole selection) and choose Convert to JPEG. The new JPGs appear in the same folder.

That is the entire workflow. There is nothing else to configure.  

HEIC vs JPG: Why Apple Uses It

HEIC is not Apple being difficult - it is a genuinely better format for storage. At the same visual quality, a HEIC file is about half the size of a JPG, which is why your phone can hold so many photos.

The downside is reach: JPG opens on absolutely everything, while HEIC still needs a helping hand on Windows, older TVs, and some websites. That is the trade-off CopyTrans HEIC smooths over - keep your originals in space-saving HEIC, and make a JPG copy on demand whenever you need maximum compatibility.

Other Ways to View HEIC on Windows

CopyTrans HEIC is the simplest route because it works everywhere in Windows at once, but it is not the only option, and a couple of free image viewers open HEIC on their own without changing your system.

ImageGlass is a fast, modern viewer with HEIC support built in, and nomacs is a lightweight cross-platform alternative. The long-standing all-rounders IrfanView, XnView, and FastStone Image Viewer can all read HEIC too (IrfanView needs its free plug-in pack). You can compare the whole lineup in the Image Viewers category.

The difference is scope. Those viewers open HEIC inside their own window; CopyTrans HEIC makes HEIC work for all of Windows - thumbnails, Photos, printing, and Office - which is usually what people actually want.

System Requirements and Download

CopyTrans HEIC runs on Windows 7, 8.1, 10, and 11, and the free version covers the HEIC viewing and JPG conversion most people need. It is a small, clean install - no bundled extras and no telemetry - now provided through CopyTrans Studio.

You can download CopyTrans HEIC from CODECS.COM as a virus-checked, trusted download, and start opening your iPhone photos on Windows straight away.

See CopyTrans HEIC for Windows in action (under 20 seconds):