How to Open a HEIC File on Mac

HEIC files are now widely adopted by Apple devices. Thus, you can easily open HEIC files on most Mac computers using built-in apps like Photos and Preview. However, there are some situations in which you can't open HEIC files on Mac successfully. For example:

If you are using an older version of macOS and there is no app that allows you to open and view HEIC files.

If you want to use HEIC files in a program but the program can't open HEIC files natively.

Given that, here I'll show you not only how to open HEIC files on Mac with pre-installed apps but also how to view HEIC files successfully if the program you want to use doesn't support HEIC.

How to Open HEIC Files on Mac

The HEIC photos imported from your iPhone or downloaded from the Internet can be easily opened with two photo-related apps - Preview and Photos. Preview is the default app on the latest macOS to open HEIC photos. If you want to open HEIC files with Photos or change the default app, follow the steps below.

No matter which app you choose, you can apply the same steps to get it done:

Step 1. Go to Finder and find the HEIC photos you want to open.

Step 2. Double-click the photo you want to open and choose "Open With" > "Other."

Step 3. Choose the Photos app from the list or search for the app from the bar. (If you want to set Photos as the default app to open HEIC files, go to "Enable," select "All Applications," and check the box "Always Open With.")

Step 4. Then click "Open" to open the HEIC file on your Mac.

How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

Although you can open HEIC files on Mac with Photos or Preview, you can not make sure you can open HEIC with other photo-related programs. For example, you may need to use these photos in a project but find HEIC files are not compatible with it. In such a case, it will be necessary for you to change HEIC to JPG on your Mac. To turn a HEIC file to a common format like JPG, there are three ways for you to achieve this goal.

Both Photos and Preview enable you to export HEIC photos as JPEG (the same as JPEG) files. But with the iPhone data transfer tool as well as HEIC to JPG converter - EaseUS MobiMover, you will be able to convert HEIC to JPG in bulk quickly and conveniently.

As an iPhone data manager, EaseUS MobiMover also works to:

• Transfer files between Mac and iPhone
• Transfer data between two iOS or iPadOS devices
• Back up and restore an iPhone/iPad/iPod touch

No matter you want to convert HEIC to JPG or transfer photos from iPhone to Mac, EaseUS MobiMover will come to help.

To change HEIC to JPG on Mac:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS MobiMover on your Mac, go to "HEIC to JPG," and then click "Browse."

Step 2. Select the HEIC files you want to convert and click "Open."

Step 3. Click "Convert" or "Start All" to start converting HEIC to JPG. After the file conversion completes, click the "View" button to check the converted JPG photos on your Mac.

If you want to know how to perform file conversion with Photos or Preview, check the guide on how to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac for more details.

The Bottom Line

Although it's not difficult to open HEIC files on Mac in most cases, there is still a need to convert HEIC to JPG so that you can view or use these files in other programs except Photos and Preview. Other than the methods mentioned above, there are online HEIC converters that also perform well to change HEIC to JPG or another format. If you are interested in such tools, search from the Internet and pick up the one you trust to apply.