How to Open iPhone HEIC Photos & MOV Videos on Windows 11/10 for FREE, by Tech with Monir on YouTube. 6 min 48 s.
- Video length
- 6 min 48 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Copy a few HEIC photos and a 4K 60fps.MOV video from your iPhone to a folder on your Windows PC. Try opening them to confirm the HEVC error appears.
Go to your PC or graphics card maker's support site, such as Intel, AMD or NVIDIA, and download their free HEVC Video Extension package. Install it and open a HEIC photo to test.
If photos still won't open, install CopyTrans HEIC for Windows. After setup, double-click a HEIC file and it should open in the Windows Photos app.
As an alternative viewer, install XnView MP. It opens HEIC files and lets you batch convert them to JPG from the File menu.
Install VLC Media Player to play the iPhone.MOV videos. Open VLC, go to Tools, Preferences, then Interface, and set VLC as the default app for video files.
Right-click a.MOV file, choose Open with, then VLC media player, and tick Always use this app. Play the clip to check the video and sound work.
For permanent JPG or MP4 copies, install FFmpeg and open Command Prompt in the folder. Run ffmpeg -i photo.heic photo.jpg or ffmpeg -i clip.mov clip.mp4 to convert.
Tips and common mistakes
Install the HEVC extension from your device maker's site, not a random download page, to avoid bundled adware.
Keep the original HEIC and MOV files and convert copies, so you never lose quality or metadata.
If a video plays sound but no picture, the HEVC codec is still missing, so reinstall the extension.
Only download FFmpeg from the official ffmpeg.org site and follow their Windows build links.
Questions
Why can't Windows open my iPhone photos?
IPhones save photos as HEIC and videos as HEVC, and Windows needs a codec to read them. The Microsoft Store version costs money, but free extensions and apps like CopyTrans HEIC work too.
Do I have to convert HEIC to JPG?
No. With a codec or viewer installed you can open HEIC files directly. Convert to JPG only when an app or website won't accept HEIC.
Is VLC enough for iPhone videos?
VLC plays most HEVC.MOV files without extra codecs. Set it as the default player so double-clicking a video opens it straight away.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
