Recommend me a best Heic viewer for pc (Windows & macOS)

Here are some best Heic viewer for PC that work well on both Windows and macOS, allowing for smooth previews and batch browsing:

1. HEIC to JPG Converter

Platforms: Windows

Features: Even if it's not a professional Heic viewer for PC. This tool allows for batch viewing by simply dragging and dropping files. It is straightforward and user-friendly.

2.Apowersoft Free HEIC Converter

Platforms: Windows and macOS

Features: While primarily a converter, it allows you to view HEIC files in batch mode for conversion. It’s simple to use and offers high-quality conversions.

3.CopyTrans HEIC for Windows

Platforms: Windows

Features: This software integrates HEIC files within the Windows Photo Viewer, allowing you to open and view HEIC images easily without conversion, and supports batch operations.

I encountered the same problem before. I dragged more than 2,000 photos from iPhone to Windows 11, but they were all .heic. The system could not open them and they were very stuck. Later, I studied it and found that even if you don’t install third-party tools, there are two relatively reliable ways to use them as heic viewer for PC Windows 11:

✅ Method 1: Use the "Photos" application + HEIF codec that comes with Windows 11

Although you said that the extension downloaded from Microsoft Store is not easy to use, sometimes the HEIF and HEVC encoders are not fully installed. You can:

Open any HEIC picture and click "Get Extension" to jump to Microsoft Store.

Install two components:

1. HEIF image extension
2. HEVC video extension (this is sometimes charged, you can find a genuine device pre-installed)

After successful installation, the "Photos" application that comes with Windows can be used as heic viewer for PC Windows 11, and the preview is basically not stuck.

✅ Method 2: Batch browsing with "Preview" + Quick View (spacebar) on Mac

If you don't want to convert the format and happen to have a Mac, you can actually browse the HEIC files in the entire folder by using "Preview" and the spacebar to quickly view them. Hold down Shift or Command to select multiple pictures, and press the spacebar to quickly flip through the pictures like a slideshow. It is very suitable for batch viewing without importing or converting the format.

Although it is not a perfect heic viewer for PC Windows 11 solution, these two methods do not rely on third-party tools, are natively supported by the system, and have good stability. If you just browse and check pictures daily, it is enough~

For viewing heic images on Mac, you can use the default Preview app for that. This is one of the best free heic viewer shipped with macOS. However, old macOS version like El Capitan, High Sierra is not capable of doing this.

For viewing heic images on Windows 11, there is no direct way to do that as Windows 11 does not support HEIC images by default. You have to install additional codes and system extensions to enable the feature. Or you can convert heic to jpg and view the converted images with the photos app.

Use the libheif command line tool. It is is an open-source library for reading and writing HEIF files, which include HEIC. It is widely used as a backend for converting HEIC files to other formats like JPEG or PNG. libheif itself is a command-line tool that can be used directly or integrated into other applications. However, it is not a heic viewer.

On Windows, libheif is not included by default, so you need to install it manually or through a package manager like ​Chocolatey. Once installed, you can use it to convert HEIC files to JPEG or other formats.

choco install libheif-bin

After installation, check if heif-convert (the command-line tool provided by libheif) is available by running:

heif-convert --version

To convert a single HEIC file to JPEG, use the following command:

heif-convert input.heic output.jpg --quality 90

P.S. Some HEIC files may not be supported due to advanced features like encryption or non-standard encoding. In such cases, try using tools like ​ImageMagick (which uses libheif as a backend).

There is no need to install any heic viewer for PC after conversion as JPG is supported by default!

When you convert HEIC files to JPG using these tools, there’s often a trade-off in quality. HEIC is a more efficient format with better image quality in smaller file sizes. Converting it to JPG may result in some loss of detail, especially in high-resolution images, and that can be frustrating if you're trying to keep the best quality for prints or professional use.

Some converters and Heic viewer for PC can have clunky interfaces that aren’t the most intuitive. You might find yourself fumbling around, especially if you’re trying to do batch conversions or look for specific features. A poorly designed UI can really slow you down and make the process more frustrating than it needs to be. In batch-processing modes, some Heic viewer for PC tools impose file size or quantity limits on conversions unless you upgrade to a paid version. For instance, if you’re working with a large number of HEIC files, you could find yourself stopped in your tracks, frustrated that you can only convert a small batch at a time.

I like irfanview it's free and open great many file formats

it's windows only though