HEIC vs PNG: what changes
A HEIC photo is lossy, compressed with the HEVC video codec, and only Apple software opens it without fuss. PNG is the opposite: it stores every pixel exactly, supports transparency and opens in practically every editor, which makes it a safe format to hand to Photoshop, GIMP or a layout tool.
Expect a big jump in size. A PNG holds the full decoded image, so a 2 MB HEIC photo can become a PNG of 15 MB or more. The conversion adds no new quality, it simply stops further compression from piling up each time you edit and save.
How to convert HEIC to PNG on any device
Editing in desktop software
Older versions of Photoshop, Affinity and many free editors cannot import HEIC. Convert the photos to PNG, open them in the editor and save your final export in whichever format you need.
Screenshots and graphics saved as HEIC
Some iPhone images, such as edited screenshots and cutouts, can carry transparency. PNG keeps that see-through area, where a JPG would fill it with white.
Preparing a batch for print or design
Drop a few photos or a whole album and take the result as one ZIP. Check the file sizes first if you are on a slow connection or short on storage.
Troubleshooting HEIC to PNG
The PNG is far larger than the HEIC
That is expected, because PNG is lossless and HEIC is heavily compressed. If size matters more than a perfect copy, convert to JPG or WebP instead.
A large photo fails with a memory message
Decoding a 48 megapixel photo needs a lot of memory, especially on a phone. Convert fewer photos at once, close other tabs, or try a desktop browser.
The PNG has no depth effect from Portrait mode
The depth data a Portrait photo stores beside the picture is not part of the visible image, so it is left out. You get the sharp photo itself.
Color profile and metadata
No camera or location metadata is carried into the PNG, and the image is drawn through an 8-bit sRGB canvas, so 10-bit and Display P3 color information is reduced. Orientation from the HEIC is applied, so the PNG is the right way up.