Support
Heica for macOS
The questions below cover most of what people ask. If yours is not here, write to us and we will answer.
Write to us at [email protected]
Frequently asked questions
What does Heica do?
Heica converts HEIC and HEIF photos to JPG on your Mac. Drop the photos in, choose a quality, click Convert, and the JPGs are written into a folder you pick. Your originals are never modified.
Which Macs does it run on?
Heica requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. It runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
How do I add photos?
Drag HEIC files or whole folders onto the window, or press Add Files and choose them in the dialog. Folders are searched all the way down, so a folder of folders works too. Files that are not HEIC or HEIF are left out.
Can I drag photos straight out of the Photos app?
Not yet. The Photos app hands over a promise of a file rather than the file itself, and Heica does not accept those in this version. Export the photos to a folder first (File, Export, Export Unmodified Original) and drop that folder onto Heica.
Which quality should I choose?
75%, the default, is right for sharing and most uploads: hard to tell from the original, at a fraction of the size. Go higher for prints and archives. Go down to 40 to 50% when a website has a strict size limit. The estimated size of the batch updates as you drag the slider, so you can see the effect before converting.
Why is the JPG larger than the HEIC?
Because HEIC is the more efficient format. A 12 megapixel iPhone photo that is 1 MB as HEIC becomes about 1.7 MB as a 75% JPG and about 4 MB at 100%. JPG buys its compatibility with bytes. If size matters more than the last bit of detail, lower the quality: at 30% the same photo is smaller than the HEIC.
Where do the JPGs go?
Wherever you say. Every Convert opens a folder dialog, and the whole batch is written into that folder. Nothing is written next to your originals unless you choose that folder.
What happens when two photos have the same name?
If two photos from different folders would both become IMG_0001.jpg, Heica notices before converting and adds the source folder's name as a prefix: Holiday_IMG_0001.jpg and Work_IMG_0001.jpg. Names that do not clash are left as they are.
What if a JPG with that name already exists?
Heica asks before writing: Replace, Keep Both or Cancel. Keep Both writes a numbered copy next to the existing file. You can set which of these is the default button in Settings.
Is the metadata kept?
Yes. Capture date and time, camera and lens details, orientation, the colour profile and location data are copied from the HEIC into the JPG. Heica does not strip location data; if you want a photo without it, remove it before or after converting.
What about HDR photos?
Recent iPhones store an HDR gain map inside the HEIC. Heica writes a standard dynamic range JPG and does not carry the gain map over, so the JPG looks like the photo does on a non HDR display.
Does it convert ProRAW or other RAW files?
No. Heica accepts HEIC and HEIF only. ProRAW files are DNG, and DNG is not on the list. Photos taken in the default iPhone camera mode are HEIC and convert normally.
Can it write PNG or another format?
No. Heica writes JPG and nothing else. That is the format the websites, forms and older programs that reject HEIC are asking for.
Can I cancel a conversion?
Yes, at any time. Photos that were already finished stay finished, and no half written file is ever left in your folder: each JPG is written completely first and only then placed where you asked.
Does Heica need the internet?
Not for converting. Everything happens on your Mac, and your photos are never uploaded anywhere. The only network request the app can make is when you open the Other Apps tab in Settings, which loads a list of our other apps.
Which languages does Heica speak?
The app's interface is in English. This site is available in English, Turkish, German, French, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.