If your iPhone photos show a blank thumbnail on a Windows PC, or Photos asks you to install something, the cause is simple: Windows does not ship with everything it needs to read HEIC. You have two routes. Install Microsoft’s extensions so Windows can open HEIC, or convert the photos to JPG once and forget about it.
Option 1: install the HEIF and HEVC extensions
HEIC photos use the HEIF container and HEVC compression, so Windows needs two components from the Microsoft Store.
- Open the Microsoft Store and search for HEIF Image Extensions. Install it. It is published by Microsoft and is normally free.
- Search for HEVC Video Extensions and install it. Microsoft has charged a small fee for the standalone version, and some PCs get a free "from Device Manufacturer" version. Prices and bundling change, so check the Store listing.
- Restart the Photos app, or sign out and back in. Thumbnails and previews should now appear in File Explorer and open in Photos.
Some recent Windows 11 installs already include HEIF support. If photos open for you after step 1 alone, you are done.
Option 2: convert to JPG
Extensions fix viewing on that one PC. They do not help when you send photos to someone else, upload them to a form, or open them in older software. Converting to JPG solves all of those at once. Use the HEIC to JPG converter: it runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded, and you can drop up to 100 photos in one go.
Option 3: stop creating HEIC on the iPhone
If you mostly use Windows, tell your iPhone to take JPG photos in the first place. That guide shows the setting and the trade-off.
Which should you pick?
| Your situation | Best route |
|---|---|
| Just want to view photos on one PC | Install the extensions |
| Sharing, uploading or printing | Convert to JPG |
| Regularly moving iPhone photos to Windows | Switch the iPhone to Most Compatible, or set transfer to Automatic |