HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container, which is a file format used to store individual digital images and image sequences. It is an updated variant of the High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF), which was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) as a replacement for the older JPEG format. HEIC files are most commonly saved with the .heic or .heics extension, depending on the number of images inside. They are typically created on Apple devices like iPhones and iPads, and are known for their high-quality images and space-saving capabilities. HEIC files are about half the size of JPEGs and can hold multiple images in one file, which means less storage taken up with photos on your device or in the cloud.

To open HEIC files on Windows, you will need to update to version 18.09 of Windows 10 or later and install the HEIF Image Extensions. You can also use various apps that support HEIC files, such as GIMP, Canva, Paint.NET, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and Krita. Online conversion tools like HEICtoJPG.com can also be used to convert HEIC files to JPEG.