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 is traditionally used by Apple across its mobile devices. HEIC files are most commonly saved with the .heic or .heics extension, depending on the number of images inside. The format uses High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) to compress the images, which results in smaller file sizes without compromising image quality. HEIC files can hold multiple images in one file, which means less storage is taken up with photos on your device or in the cloud. HEIC files can be opened on Windows 10 by updating to version 18.09 or later and installing the HEIF Image Extensions. On macOS, HEIC files can be opened with Apple Preview and Apple Photos. HEIC files are also supported by Google Photos on Android, Chrome OS, and on the web.