HEIF Image Extensions 1.2.57.0

Copy a folder of iPhone photos to a PC and Windows usually greets you with blank icons where the thumbnails should be.

HEIF Image Extensions is half of Microsoft's fix, and the free HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer is the other half.

Install both, restart File Explorer, and your photos behave like any JPEG - no conversion, no new viewer and no Microsoft account.

What HEIF Image Extensions Actually Does

It plugs HEIF and HEIC support into the Windows Imaging Component (WIC), the part of Windows that draws thumbnails and opens pictures for other apps. File Explorer, Microsoft Photos, Paint and any other program built on WIC can then read the files without a plug-in of their own.

Microsoft's listing says it can write HEIF as well as read it, so apps that offer saving in the format get that option. Version 1.2.57.0 ships as one bundle with builds for 64-bit, 32-bit and ARM PCs, and it installs on Windows 10 version 1809 or newer and on every Windows 11 release.

Why You Need HEVC as Well - the Step Most Guides Skip

A HEIC photo is a wrapper with an HEVC-compressed picture inside. HEIF Image Extensions reads the wrapper, but the picture itself needs an HEVC decoder, and without one every iPhone photo stays blank.

Microsoft charges for the Store edition of that decoder, but the Device Manufacturer edition linked above is the same decoder at no cost. Its current build needs Windows 11, and our guide to getting the HEVC extension free covers the route for Windows 10.

The same rule covers the other file types: .heic, .heif and Canon's .hif need HEVC, while .avif photos need the AV1 Video Extension instead. How to Open HEVC, HEIC and HEIF Files maps out which piece opens what.

If the photos came straight off an iPhone, why iPhone HEIC photos won't open on Windows also covers the phone settings that send JPEGs instead.

Check Whether You Already Have It

Windows often ships with an older copy of this extension already installed, and the Installed apps list does not always show it.

To check, open PowerShell and run Get-AppxPackage *HEIF* - the Version line tells you what you have. A version of 1.2.57.0 or higher means you are up to date, and no output at all means it is not installed.

How to Install the Download From This Page

1. Download the AppxBundle. The main link is Microsoft's own signed package, the same file the Store delivers.
2. Double-click it. App Installer opens, lists the publisher as Microsoft Corporation and offers an Install or Update button.
3. Restart File Explorer. Open Task Manager, select Windows Explorer and click Restart - thumbnails do not refresh until you do.

If double-clicking does nothing, App Installer is missing or switched off. Open PowerShell in your Downloads folder and run Add-AppxPackage followed by the full file name instead.

Prefer the Store? The download page also links Microsoft's Store listing, which keeps the extension updated for you.

Still Seeing Blank Thumbnails? The Usual Causes

• HEVC is missing. HEIF on its own opens no iPhone photo, so install the free decoder linked at the top.
• Explorer has not refreshed. Restart it from Task Manager, or sign out and back in.
• Old blank icons are cached. Run Disk Cleanup, tick Thumbnails and let Windows redraw them.
• Windows 10 is too old. Settings - System - About shows your version, and anything before 1809 cannot install the extension.

The walkthrough in How to Open and View HEIF Images covers each case with screenshots. If you want a clean start, How to Uninstall HEVC and HEIF Extensions shows how to remove both and reinstall.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

If your PC blocks Store apps, as many work laptops do, a standalone plug-in is the easier route. The tell is simple: if App Installer and PowerShell both refuse the package citing a policy, skip to the options below.

And if you only need to send photos to someone else, converting them to JPEG makes more sense than teaching one PC to read HEIC.

HEIC Support Without the Microsoft Extensions

CopyTrans HEIC adds Explorer thumbnails plus a right-click Convert to JPEG. WIC for HEIC gives every WIC app HEIC support in one install, and neither goes through the Store.

Prefer a full viewer? IrfanView reads HEIC once its free plugins pack is added, and ImageGlass opens HEIC, AVIF and WebP out of the box.

XnView handles hundreds of formats with proper batch tools, and the full lineup sits in our image viewers category.

Converting HEIC to JPEG for Sharing

XnConvert converts whole folders at once, and our quick guide to converting HEIC with XnConvert walks through it.

iMazing Converter keeps the date, time and location stored inside each photo, which matters if your albums sort by when and where they were taken.

For a one-off file without installing anything, these browser tools do the job:

• HEIC to JPEG for iPhone photos.
• HEIF to JPEG for files with the .heif extension.
• JPEG to HEIC when you want smaller files from existing photos.

Round Out Image Support on Windows

The Raw Image Extension adds thumbnails for camera RAW files from Canon, Nikon, Sony and most other makers. The WebP Image Extensions covers the image format most websites now use.

The JPEG XL Image Extension reads the format newer iPhone Pro models use for ProRAW photos, but it needs Windows 11 24H2 or newer.

To pull photos straight off an iPhone, back them up or move them in bulk, 3uTools covers what the extensions do not.

Quick questions

Download HEIF Image Extensions 1.2.57.0 and see how it handles your iPhone photos, or tell us how you got on if you have used it before.