Opening a HEIF File

The HEIF file type is primarily associated with HEIF Image Viewer.

HEIF	File extension: HEIF
	File type:	container file

What is a HEIF file?

HEIF files mostly belong to HEIF Image Viewer. The HEIF file is a modern image container that uses an MP4 structure to store image data efficiently.
It is not only used for a single still image but may also hold a series of images or image variations within one file.

Efficient Compression: HEIF files offer high quality images at smaller file sizes.

MP4-based Container: The internal format leverages MP4 technology, which is more common with videos, to handle complex image data.

Viewing Support: Compatible programs such as the HEIF Image Viewer and supported Photos applications help to open and display these files.

FilExt.com tip: This design also allows for features like non-destructive editing and multiple image storage in one container.

How do you open HEIF files?

You need a suitable software like HEIF Image Viewer to open a HEIF file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your HEIF file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a HEIF file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online HEIF Text Viewer

Choose your .heif file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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HEIF file format:

If you know the file format, you can also find out how to open or edit the file. The initial characters of a file are called signature, sometimes also referred to as "magic bytes". The signature can be used to infer the file format. File extension, signature and file format must match; otherwise errors will occur when the file is opened. So a detailed analysis of a file is vital in order to determine the format and the associated program. Our evaluation of the HEIF files looks like this:

HEIF is not a commonly used file extension and predominantly uses a uniform format. However, the following two file formats are common:

• 90% of all HEIF files are associated with HEIF bitmap files, which internally utilize the well-known MP4 format. MP4 is a multimedia container format used to store video and audio and allows streaming over the Internet. These are binary files, so they do not contain words or text. HEIF files can be up to 16 MB in size, but are often around 100 KB - 2 MB. It is a modern file type. The following keywords are characteristic: pict, ftypheic, !hdlr, mif1heic, pitm, infe, hvc1, meta, $dinf, dref, url and iinf. A usual file name is IMG_20180601_HDR.heif or 20180601.heif. These files are often associated with heic and sample.
• 5% of all HEIF files save the data in JPG file format. JPEG is the standard image format for lossy and compressed image data. The content consists of illegible binary data, which can only be read and interpreted by the associated programs. The files are on average 1 MB in size and range from 2 KB to 1 MB. The files contain the following words: JFIF.

The remaining 5% of all HEIF files are different files with different signatures. Files like these are sometimes linked to chromium. If you want to find out which format your HEIF file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .heif file to analyze".