Does converting HEIC to PNG improve the photo's quality?

No. HEIC is a lossy format, and some detail was permanently discarded the moment the photo was taken. Because PNG is lossless, it preserves the image bit for bit as it stands at that moment, but it cannot bring back information that is already gone. After the conversion you have a larger file, not a sharper photo. PNG's real contribution is that no further loss occurs in any subsequent edit or save.

Why did the file size increase so much?

HEIC uses a highly efficient HEVC-based lossy compression designed to keep photos small. PNG, by contrast, discards no pixel information at all; it only packs repeating patterns losslessly. In a photograph almost every pixel differs from its neighbour, so there is very little repetition to pack, and the PNG output often ends up several times the size of the HEIC original. This is not a fault; it is the natural consequence of two very different design goals.

What happens to my Live Photos during the conversion?

A Live Photo is really a still frame plus a short accompanying video clip. Since PNG cannot store moving content, only the key frame survives the conversion and the video component is dropped. This is not irreversible, because the original Live Photo stays on your phone, but you cannot turn the PNG output back into a Live Photo. If you want to keep the motion, you need to export the file as a video instead.

Should I convert my whole HEIC archive to PNG for backup?

Usually no. Converting HEIC to PNG for archival purposes multiplies your storage requirements for no quality gain whatsoever, because the loss already happened at capture time. If your concern is long-term compatibility, JPG or WEBP are the sensible choices. Use PNG for individual files you intend to work on, not for archives.

Saving a HEIC Photo as PNG: A Step-by-Step Guide

Why is anyone converting HEIC at all?

HEIC is the iPhone's default photo format. Apple chose it deliberately: thanks to its HEVC-based compression, it stores the same visual quality in noticeably smaller files than JPG. From a phone-storage standpoint that is an excellent trade.

The trouble starts once the file leaves the phone. Windows can only open HEIC after you install an extra codec. Plenty of websites, forms, corporate upload systems and older image editors do not recognise the file at all. The real reason people convert HEIC is almost never quality — it is compatibility.

This article walks through the HEIC-to-PNG conversion step by step, and more importantly, makes clear when that conversion is the right call and when it is just needless disk bloat.

What technically happens during the conversion

When a HEIC file is opened, the HEVC-compressed data is decoded into a raw array of pixels. What you see on screen is that raw array. Saving it as PNG means repacking that same array losslessly with DEFLATE.

Here is the critical point: HEIC is a lossy format. The moment the photo was taken, details the eye struggles to notice were thrown away during compression. PNG does not bring that discarded information back. What PNG does is freeze the current state. It is not a repair tool; it is a seal.

The practical implication: if your HEIC shows slight softening, or banding across broad gradients like a sky, PNG will preserve those faithfully.

Step-by-step conversion

1. Get hold of the right source file. When transferring the photo to your computer, watch your phone's "automatic conversion" setting. On some transfer paths the iPhone converts HEIC to JPG on your behalf. In that case, converting to PNG stacks a second conversion on top of an already lossy file. If you want the genuine HEIC, set the transfer option to "keep originals."

2. Use the highest-resolution copy you have. A photo that has passed through WhatsApp or any messaging app carries far more compression damage than the original. Work with the actual file from your photo library whenever you can.

3. Open the HEIC to PNG converter and drag and drop your files. You get the PNG output within seconds.

4. Inspect the output at 100% zoom. What you should see is an image identical to the original. If you can spot a difference, the problem is not in the conversion — it is in the source file itself.

5. Be ready for the size increase. A 2 MB HEIC can turn into a much larger PNG. That is expected behaviour. If the size bothers you, this is exactly the moment to reconsider whether the conversion was necessary at all.

6. Do your subsequent editing on the PNG. This is where the real benefit lives. Crop the PNG, add layers, colour-correct it, save it again and again — no new compression artefacts accumulate at any step. Had you repeated the same operations on a lossy format, every save would have layered more damage on top of the last.

When this conversion genuinely pays off

When you are doing multi-stage editing. You are going to put a photo through an editing process spread across several sessions. Converting to PNG at the start and keeping your working file as PNG reduces the quality loss from intermediate saves to zero. You export the final publishable version as JPG or WEBP at the very end.

When you are removing the background. Transparency lives in formats that carry an alpha channel. Because PNG can store 256 distinct levels of opacity per pixel, the edges of a cut-out object look soft against any background. HEIC offers no output that suits this workflow.

When a system demands PNG. Some document management systems, e-signature platforms, prepress tools and corporate templates accept nothing but PNG. Here it is not a preference; it is a compatibility requirement.

Screenshots and frames containing text. A screenshot or document photo saved as HEIC is full of sharp edges and flat colour areas. PNG both renders those more cleanly and, because lossless compression works efficiently on this kind of content, the size increase is nowhere near as dramatic as with photographs.

When to choose something other than PNG

When you are sharing the photo as-is. If it is going on a website, into an email or onto social media, PNG is the wrong choice. The size multiplies several times over with no visible quality difference. JPG or WEBP is the right answer in this scenario.

When you are archiving. Converting a HEIC archive to PNG for backup multiplies your storage cost without recovering any loss. If you want to convert an archive for compatibility, JPG or WEBP makes far more sense.

A common mistake worth avoiding

The most frequent error is trying to "clean up" a photo by converting HEIC to PNG and then back to JPG. This loop fixes nothing; on the contrary, the final JPG save adds yet another round of lossy compression and degrades the image a little further. Bouncing between formats never improves quality — at best it holds it steady.

The second common mistake is batch-converting an entire photo library to PNG. The only concrete outcome is a full disk.

In summary

With the right tool, HEIC-to-PNG conversion takes seconds — but it only makes sense when it is the right decision. This conversion does not bring back lost detail; it stops future loss and gives you a container you can add transparency to. Do it if you are going to edit, remove a background, or if the other side requires PNG. If you are sharing or archiving the photo as-is, JPG or WEBP gives you a far smaller file with no visible difference.