You can upload a maximum of 10 images at a timeDrag & Drop your images here orSupported formats: HEIC
Max 20 MB · 10 files
Output format
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Convert HEIC to PDF Online Free — Combine iPhone Photos into One Document
How to Convert Images Online
1Upload your HEIC files
Click the upload button or drag and drop your HEIC, HEIF, or HIF files. Upload up to 10 files for batch conversion into a multi-page PDF.
2Choose page size and quality
Select A4, Letter, Legal, or Fit-to-Image. Set quality (Q=85 for general use, Q=95 for print, Q=75 for small file size).
3Download your PDF
Click Convert and download your PDF. Each HEIC becomes one page. Files are deleted automatically after download or within 60 minutes.
Supported Image Formats
HEIC
Apple photo format used by iPhone and iPad. High quality with small file size.
PDF
Portable Document Format. Convert PDF pages to JPG, PNG or WebP images.
HEIF
High Efficiency Image Format — same as HEIC, used on Apple devices.
WebP
Modern image format by Google. Up to 30% smaller than JPG with the same quality.
PNG
Lossless format that preserves every pixel. Best for screenshots and logos.
JPG
Universal format for photos. Supported everywhere, great balance between quality and file size.
GIF
Classic format for simple animations. Supports transparency and up to 256 colors.
BMP
Uncompressed bitmap format. Maximum quality but very large file size.
TIFF
Professional lossless format used in printing and photography.
AVIF
Next-gen format with excellent compression. Up to 50% smaller than JPG.
PPM
Portable Pixmap format used in Unix/Linux environments.
HDR
High Dynamic Range format storing extended brightness data.
FITS
Flexible Image Transport System used in astronomy and science.
AVIF vs WebP vs HEIC vs JPG
Quick comparison to help you choose the right format
AVIF
- Size: Up to 50% smaller than JPG
- Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari
- Transparency: ✓
- Best for: Web performance
WebP
- Size: 25-35% smaller than JPG
- Browsers: All modern browsers
- Transparency: ✓
- Best for: Web compatibility
HEIC
- Size: ~50% smaller than JPG
- Browsers: Safari only
- Transparency: ✓
- Best for: iPhone storage
JPG
- Size: Baseline
- Browsers: All browsers & apps
- Transparency: ✗
- Best for: Universal sharing
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does converting HEIC to PDF lose quality?
- A small amount. PDF embeds images as JPEG (DCTDecode), so HEIC must be transcoded. At Q=90–95 the difference is imperceptible. JPG-to-PDF is zero-loss by comparison — JPEG bytes are copied directly.
- Why can't PDF contain HEIC natively?
- Standard PDF readers support a defined set of image filters: DCTDecode (JPEG), FlateDecode, and JPXDecode. HEVC is not among them, so HEIC pixels must be re-encoded as JPEG before embedding.
- Can I combine multiple HEIC photos into one PDF?
- Yes. Upload up to 10 HEIC files — each becomes one page in a single multi-page PDF. Mixed portrait and landscape photos are handled automatically, each page matching the photo's orientation.
- What happens to iPhone Live Photos?
- Only the still frame is converted. The video companion is not included in the PDF. Portrait mode depth maps and HDR gain maps are also discarded.
- What happens to 10-bit HEIC from iPhone 12 Pro or Sony cameras?
- 10-bit data is tone-mapped and quantized to 8-bit sRGB for JPEG embedding. In typical viewing conditions the difference is invisible. For archival work, convert to 16-bit PNG first using our <a href="/heic-to-png">HEIC to PNG converter</a>.
- How do I make the PDF small enough for USCIS or the IRS?
- USCIS typically requires ≤6 MB per file — convert one photo at a time at Q=75–80. For IRS (typically ≤15 MB), a 10-photo batch at Q=80 usually fits. Check current portal limits before submitting.
- Does Convertify preserve EXIF data like GPS location?
- GPS and camera metadata are stripped by default for privacy. Enable the 'Keep EXIF' toggle if you need metadata preserved in the output PDF.
- My file has a .heif or .HIF extension — will it work?
- Yes. Convertify accepts .heic, .heif, and .HIF files. Samsung Galaxy, Sony Alpha, and Canon camera HEIF files all convert correctly — the codec is detected from the container header regardless of extension.
- Can I set the page size to A4 or US Letter?
- Yes. Choose A4, US Letter, Legal, or Fit-to-Image (page matches photo dimensions exactly, no margins). Auto-orientation rotates each page to match the photo's aspect ratio.
- Is the conversion private?
- Files are transferred over HTTPS and deleted automatically after download or within 60 minutes. GPS and personal metadata are stripped from the output by default.
Why HEIC needs a transcode step that JPG does not
The PDF specification defines a filter called DCTDecode for JPEG data — it stores JPG bytes inside a PDF wrapper with zero recompression. HEIC has no equivalent. Standard PDF readers support filters like DCTDecode, FlateDecode, and JPXDecode — not HEVC. So HEIC pixels cannot exist natively inside a PDF stream.
Convertify handles this in two stages: libheif decodes the HEVC payload inside the .heic container, then libvips encodes the result as JPEG for PDF embedding. The transcode step is unavoidable — but at Q=95 the visual difference is imperceptible. The output is compatible with standard PDF readers from Acrobat to iOS Preview to government portal upload tools.
For comparison: a 3.2 MB HEIC photo converts to roughly 3.4–4.1 MB in PDF, depending on quality. The slight size increase is expected — HEVC is more efficient than JPEG at equivalent quality, so the JPEG re-encode is naturally larger than the HEVC original.
What HEIC actually is — and why it matters
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's implementation of the HEIF standard (ISO/IEC 23008-12). HEIF is a container format — a special case of the ISO Base Media File Format, the same container MP4 video uses. The codec inside Apple's HEIC container is HEVC (H.265).
Apple adopted HEIC as the default iPhone camera format in iOS 11 (2017) for one reason: compression efficiency. HEVC produces files roughly half the size of JPEG at equivalent visual quality — meaning more photos in the same storage space.
The tradeoff is compatibility. HEIC support in browsers remains inconsistent, and most websites, government portals, and upload systems still reject .heic files. Windows requires codec extensions from the Microsoft Store. Insurance forms, visa applications, and healthcare portals typically expect PDF or JPEG — which is precisely why HEIC-to-PDF conversion is the most friction-free path for sharing iPhone photos in official contexts.
10-bit HEIC from iPhone 12 Pro and later — what happens to color
iPhone 12 Pro and later models capture in 10-bit HEIC when Deep Fusion and Smart HDR are active. Sony Alpha cameras (.HIF extension) and Canon EOS R5/R6 series (.HIF) also shoot 10-bit HEIF. 10-bit color means 1,024 shades per channel instead of 256 — smoother gradients and better highlight retention.
Most PDFs used for document sharing rely on 8-bit sRGB JPEG embedding. When Convertify converts 10-bit HEIC to PDF, the pipeline tone-maps any HDR content and quantizes to 8-bit sRGB before JPEG encoding.
For standard iPhone photos this is invisible — most viewing conditions do not reveal the difference between 8-bit and 10-bit in sRGB. For HDR portraits with strong backlighting, tone mapping may reduce highlight detail slightly. If 10-bit precision matters, convert to 16-bit PNG first using our HEIC to PNG converter, then assemble your PDF from there.
Live Photos, Burst mode, and Portrait mode — what converts
iPhone camera roll contains more than simple still images. Live Photos hold a still frame and a short video clip. Burst mode produces a sequence of frames. Portrait mode adds a depth map alongside the main image.
Convertify converts the primary still image from each file. The video companion of a Live Photo is not included. Burst mode files each become one page in the PDF. Portrait mode depth maps and HDR gain maps are discarded — the output contains the standard sRGB render of your photo.
Photos exported through the iOS Share Sheet may arrive as JPEG (iOS often auto-converts when sharing to non-Apple targets). If your file is already JPEG, use our JPG to PDF converter instead — it uses DCTDecode lossless embedding with zero quality loss.
HEIC to PDF vs other image-to-PDF paths
| Feature | HEIC → PDF | JPG → PDF | PNG → PDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF embedding | DCTDecode (after transcode) | DCTDecode (direct, lossless) | FlateDecode (lossless) |
| Quality loss | Minimal at Q=95 | None — bytes copied exactly | None — lossless |
| File size vs source | +5–20% (HEVC→JPEG step) | +1–10 KB/page only | ~Same as PNG source |
| Transparency | Flattened during JPEG embedding | Flattened during JPEG embedding | Yes (alpha preserved) |
| EXIF orientation | Auto-corrected | Auto-corrected | Preserved |
| 10-bit source | Tone-mapped to 8-bit | 8-bit only source | 8 or 16-bit output option |
| Best for | iPhone camera roll | Photos, scans, receipts | Figma exports, diagrams, logos |
HEIC vs PDF
| Feature | HEIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Container | HEIF (ISO/IEC 23008-12) | PDF (ISO 32000) |
| Image codec | HEVC (H.265) | JPEG via DCTDecode |
| Color depth | 8-bit or 10-bit | 8-bit sRGB (typical) |
| HDR support | Yes (HLG, Dolby Vision) | No |
| Transparency | Yes (alpha channel) | Flattened during JPEG embedding |
| Multi-page | Image sequences | Native multi-page |
| Compatibility | Apple + limited browser support | Widely supported across operating systems, browsers, and upload portals |
| File size (12 MP) | ~3–4 MB | ~3.5–5 MB at Q=90 |
| Best for | iPhone camera storage | Sharing, submitting, archiving |
Page size, orientation, and multi-image PDFs
Convertify supports four page size presets: A4 (210 × 297 mm), US Letter (8.5 × 11 in), Legal (8.5 × 14 in), and Fit-to-Image — where each PDF page exactly matches the source photo with no margins. Auto-orientation detects portrait vs landscape and rotates the page accordingly.
For batches of up to 10 HEIC files, each file becomes one page in a single multi-page PDF, in upload order. Mixed-orientation batches work correctly — portrait photos get portrait pages, landscape photos get landscape pages. This matters for expense reports, insurance submissions, and photo-book-style PDFs where orientation should follow the image.
For combining larger collections of images from different formats into one PDF, see our Images to PDF converter.
Portal upload limits — where your HEIC-to-PDF will go
The most common destination for converted HEIC PDFs is an upload form with a file size limit. At the time of writing, common limits include:
IRS Document Upload Tool: 15 MB per file, 120 pages per PDF. A 10-photo HEIC batch at Q=85 typically lands at 8–14 MB — within the limit.
USCIS myUSCIS (visa and immigration): 6 MB per file. Single-photo conversions at Q=75–80 are typically 1.5–3 MB. For multi-photo documents, split into separate uploads.
DocuSign: 25 MB per document. No issue for typical photo batches.
MyChart (Epic healthcare): 10 MB per file — standard for lab result photos and insurance card scans.
State Department CEAC (visa application): 2 MB per file. Use a single image at Q=70 and target ≤1.8 MB.
If your PDF exceeds the portal limit, lower the quality slider (Q=70 reduces file size by ~35% vs Q=90) or reduce the number of images per PDF. Portal limits change over time — check the portal's help page for current figures.
How Convertify converts HEIC to PDF
The conversion runs server-side on a Rust backend using libvips with libheif as the HEIC decoder. In plain terms:
1. Parse. libheif reads the HEIC container, identifies the HEVC-encoded image, and decodes it into raw pixels. For Live Photos, only the still frame is read.
2. Color. The embedded ICC profile (most iPhone HEICs use Display P3) is read and the image is converted to sRGB. HDR content is tone-mapped to standard dynamic range.
3. Encode. The pixel data is re-encoded as JPEG at your chosen quality setting. EXIF Orientation is applied so the image displays correctly in all PDF readers. GPS and personal metadata are stripped by default.
4. PDF assembly. A PDF 1.4 file is built with one page per image. The JPEG data is embedded using the DCTDecode filter. Files are deleted automatically after download or within 60 minutes.
Total processing time for a 10-file batch at Q=85: typically 2–6 seconds.
Troubleshooting HEIC to PDF conversion
Photo appears sideways in the PDF: iPhone HEIC files almost always carry an EXIF Orientation tag instead of physically rotating pixels. Convertify reads and applies this automatically. If the output is still sideways, the source file's EXIF may be absent — use the Rotate option in the UI.
PDF rejected by a government portal: Convertify outputs PDF 1.4, compatible with standard portal upload systems. If rejection persists, the file is likely over the size limit rather than an invalid format — lower the quality or split into separate PDFs.
Colors look washed out: iPhone HEIC files with Display P3 wide-gamut color appear slightly less saturated after conversion to sRGB. This is correct — sRGB is a smaller color space. The PDF is an accurate sRGB representation for standard screens and printers.
File is too large: Each 12 MP iPhone photo at Q=90 produces roughly 2.5–3.5 MB in the PDF. A 10-photo batch = 25–35 MB. Lower quality to Q=75 (saves ~40%), or split into multiple PDFs.
HEIC file not recognized: Samsung, Sony, and Canon cameras save HEIF files with .heif or .HIF extensions. Convertify accepts all HEIF variants — the codec is detected from the container header regardless of extension.