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Need help?How to Convert HEIC to WebP Online
- Upload Your HEIC Files: Drag and drop or click "+ Add Files" to select
.heicand.heifphotos. Batch conversion is supported — drop a whole iPhone camera roll export at once. - Pick a Quality Preset: Default is Very High (Recommended). Use Highest or toggle Lossless? Yes for archival masters, High or Medium for web delivery, or set Specific file size to target a byte budget (KB/MB) while xconvert auto-tunes quality.
- Resize (Optional): Scale by Resolution Percentage, pick a Preset Resolution (4320p down to 144p), or enter exact Width x Height in pixels. "Keep aspect ratio" is on by default so you can lock one side.
- Convert and Download: Click Convert. files are processed on our servers and deleted automatically after a few hours and delivered individually or as a ZIP — no sign-up, no watermark, no upload-to-third-party.
Why Convert HEIC to WebP?
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container, ISO/IEC 23008-12) is the default capture format on iPhones running iOS 11 and later, wrapping HEVC/H.265-coded stills in an MPEG container. It is roughly 50% smaller than JPEG at matched quality but is patent-encumbered and natively decodable by very few non-Apple platforms. WebP, released by Google in September 2010, gives you most of the size win in a royalty-free container that every current browser renders.
- Display iPhone photos on the open web — WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, and most CMSes refuse HEIC uploads. WebP uploads cleanly and renders inline in
<img>tags across Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Safari 16+ (Safari 14-15 had partial macOS-only support). - Smaller than JPEG, broader reach than HEIC — Google's WebP team measured lossy WebP at 25-34% smaller than JPEG at equivalent SSIM and lossless WebP at 26% smaller than PNG. You keep most of HEIC's compression edge without losing the audience.
- Preserve transparency and 16-bit-ish color — HEIC alpha channels survive the conversion to WebP (both lossy and lossless WebP support an alpha plane). JPEG drops them. Useful for product shots over a transparent backdrop or Live Photo overlays.
- Faster page loads and lower CDN bills — A 4 MB iPhone HEIC typically lands at ~1.2-1.8 MB as quality 80 WebP. Across a 30-image gallery that is tens of megabytes cut from each first-paint.
- Editors that choke on HEIC accept WebP — Figma, Canva, Webflow's asset library, and most ad-platform image uploaders (Meta, Google Ads, TikTok creative center) accept WebP but reject HEIC.
- Animated bursts and Live Photo stills — WebP supports animation; the still frame of a Live Photo or burst sequence converts cleanly. For multi-frame HEIC sequences, see HEIC to GIF.
HEIC vs WebP vs JPG vs AVIF — Format Comparison
| Property | HEIC | WebP | JPG | AVIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underlying codec | HEVC / H.265 | VP8 (lossy) / VP8L (lossless) | JPEG (DCT) | AV1 |
| Released | 2015 (ISO/IEC 23008-12) | Sept 2010 | 1992 | 2019 |
| Royalty-free | No (HEVC patent pool) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lossy + lossless | Both | Both | Lossy only | Both |
| Transparency (alpha) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Animation | Image sequences | Yes | No | Yes |
| Native browser support | Safari 17+ only | Chrome 32+, FF 65+, Edge 18+, Safari 16+ | Universal since 1990s | Chrome 85+, FF 93+, Safari 16.4+, Edge 121+ |
| Typical file size (12 MP photo) | ~1.5-2 MB | ~1.2-1.8 MB at Q80 | ~3-4 MB at Q85 | ~0.8-1.4 MB at Q60 |
| Best for | iPhone storage, Apple ecosystem | Web publishing, e-commerce | Universal sharing, print | Bleeding-edge web, video stills |
Quality Preset & Resize Guide
| Setting | Quality % | Approx size vs original HEIC | Visible loss? | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lossless (Yes) | 100% reversible | Larger than HEIC (typically 1.2-1.6x) | None | Archive, print masters, editing input |
| Highest | 100% | ~85-95% of HEIC | Hard to see | Photo portfolios, prints up to A4 |
| Very High (default) | 95% | ~60-75% of HEIC | Imperceptible at normal viewing | General web, blogs, e-commerce |
| High | 90% | ~45-60% of HEIC | Slight on close inspection | Hero images, social posts |
| Medium | 80% | ~30-45% of HEIC | Mild banding in sky/gradients | Thumbnails, list tiles |
| Low / Lowest | 70 / 50% | ~15-30% of HEIC | Visible artifacts | LQIP placeholders only |
Platform Compatibility Matrix
| Where you want to use the image | HEIC | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress / Shopify / Squarespace upload | Rejected by default | Accepted |
| Gmail / Outlook inline preview | Apple Mail only | All major clients |
| Discord / Slack image preview | Renders as attachment, not inline | Inline preview |
| Meta / Google / TikTok ad creative | Rejected | Accepted |
| Android stock gallery (pre-Android 10) | No native decode | Native since Android 4.0 |
| Windows 10/11 Photos app | Requires HEVC codec ($0.99) | Native |
| Figma / Canva / Webflow | Rejected | Accepted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my iPhone shooting HEIC instead of JPEG in the first place?
iOS 11 (2017) made HEIC the default for the Camera > Formats > High Efficiency setting. To shoot JPEG instead, switch the same setting to Most Compatible. Existing HEIC photos still need converting — that is what this page does.
Will I lose EXIF data, GPS coordinates, or capture timestamps?
xconvert preserves standard EXIF fields by default (capture date, camera model, focal length, ISO, shutter, GPS). Strip them in your image editor before upload if you are publishing publicly — GPS coordinates embedded in HEIC are a common source of accidental location leaks.
Does WebP support transparency from HEIC alpha channels?
Yes. Both lossy and lossless WebP have an alpha plane (lossless WebP transparency costs about 22% extra bytes per Google's spec). HEIC stickers, Live Photo overlays, and any transparent HEIC pass through with transparency intact.
Should I pick WebP or AVIF for my website?
WebP if you want maximum reach today — Safari has supported it since version 16 (Sept 2022), giving ~96% global coverage. AVIF compresses 20-30% smaller still but Safari only added it in 16.4 (March 2023) and decode is slower on older devices. WebP is the safe default; serve AVIF via <picture> with a WebP fallback if you want both. For AVIF specifically see HEIC to AVIF.
How big a HEIC file can I upload?
Free uploads are limited to 400 MB per file and 5 jobs at a time; paid plans raise the cap. Batches in the hundreds of MB are routine. For very large batches, splitting into about 50 photos at a time keeps uploads and processing quick.
Why is my converted WebP larger than the source HEIC?
HEIC's HEVC compression is more efficient than WebP's VP8 at the same SSIM target. If you set Lossless? Yes or Highest quality, the WebP will often exceed the HEIC by 20-60%. That is expected — drop to Very High or High and WebP will undercut the HEIC.
Can WebP replace HEIC on my iPhone?
No — iOS Camera writes HEIC or JPEG only. You can view WebP in Photos on iOS 14+, but you cannot capture WebP directly. WebP is a delivery format; HEIC is a capture format.
Will iCloud Shared Albums or AirDrop convert my HEIC for me?
iCloud Shared Albums historically transcoded HEIC to JPEG for non-Apple recipients. AirDrop sends HEIC as-is to other Apple devices and as JPEG to many non-Apple targets. Neither produces WebP — for WebP you need an explicit conversion step.
What about Live Photos and burst sequences?
A Live Photo is a .heic still plus a paired .mov. Converting the HEIC to WebP gives you only the key still frame; the motion clip is dropped. For the motion portion convert the MOV separately — see MOV to MP4 or MOV to GIF.