HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container, which is a file format used to store digital images and image sequences. It is an updated variant of the High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) and is used by Apple across its mobile devices. HEIC files use High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) to compress and store images on device drives, taking up half the space of other image file formats like JPEGs while maintaining equivalent quality. HEIC files can hold multiple images in one file and use the .heic or .heics extension, depending on the number of images inside. The file also contains relevant metadata describing each images size, resolution, location, and more. HEIC files are not supported by every device, but they offer the same high-quality images as JPEGs and support 16-bit color for more flexible editing. To convert HEIC files to other formats like JPEG, users can use built-in tools like macOS Preview or third-party apps.