HEIC is the high-efficiency format iPhone photos use by default. Browsers can't display it directly, so converting is needed to use or share it on the web.
BMP is Windows' basic bitmap that stores pixels as they are, without compression. When you convert HEIC to BMP, you can open it in more places, a solid background replaces transparency and the file grows. See the comparison below for what changes.
This converter reads the file itself to confirm it is HEIC, then converts it to BMP right in your browser. Your image is never uploaded.
HEIC vs BMP: what's the difference?
| Item | HEIC | BMP |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | None (uncompressed) |
| Transparent background | Yes | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Introduced | 2015 | 1990 |
| Support in programs and upload forms | limited | broad |
| Shown directly in browsers | No | Yes |
| Photo file size (JPG = 1) | about 0.5× | about 12× |
What is HEIC?
HEIC is HEVC (H.265) compression packaged in the HEIF container, and Apple adopted it as the default camera format from iOS 11. At the same quality it takes up about half the space of JPG.
What is BMP?
BMP is a bitmap format from Windows that mostly stores pixel values as they are, without compression. Its simple structure makes it easy for programs to read, but the files are so large that it is rarely used on the web.
What changes when you convert HEIC to BMP
Transparent areas are filled with the background color you choose
BMP can't represent transparency. Transparent and semi-transparent areas are composited onto the background color in the options (white by default), so pick a matching color first if the image will be used on a dark screen.
Quality doesn't improve, but it doesn't get worse either
Information lost when HEIC was saved can't be recovered. BMP is lossless, so it keeps the image exactly as it is now and later edits and saves add no further degradation. File size will grow, though.
Live Photo video and depth data are dropped
Besides the main photo, a HEIC can contain extras such as a short video and a depth map. The result contains only the main photo.
With no compression, the file size grows a lot
BMP stores pixels as they are. A 1920×1080 image becomes about 6MB, so unless equipment or software requires BMP, another format is recommended.
BMP has no quality setting
BMP is none (uncompressed), so the quality slider doesn't apply. Instead, when converting from HEIC you can manage file size by resizing (exact width and height, or a percentage).
How the file size changes
For the same photo, BMP is much larger than HEIC (roughly 24× or so). This is for photos; for simple images such as logos and screenshots, PNG can actually come out smaller.
BMP opens in more places
Support for HEIC in programs, document tools and upload forms is limited, while BMP is broad. If you need to upload somewhere HEIC wouldn't open, try again after converting.
When to convert
- You need to upload to a program, messenger or upload form that can't open HEIC
- You want to use it on a website or blog but browsers can't display HEIC
- You need to feed legacy equipment or embedded software that only reads BMP
- You want to open photos taken on an iPhone on a Windows PC or Android