Can't open a HEIC file? Missing decoder or a damaged photo.
Your computer or phone says it can't open a HEIC file. First check whether other HEIC photos open on the same device: if none do, the device is missing HEIF support, not the photo. If only this one fails, upload it — FileFix tries to decode the image and shows a watermarked preview before payment. The repaired download is a PNG, not a HEIC.
Free preview — pay only if you download ($12 USD)
Your files auto-delete — delete them sooner anytime
No person looks at your file as part of repair
Uploading your file.
Keep this tab open while the file transfers. Large files can take longer.
Starting upload...
Recovering what we can.
- Upload received
- Repair in progress
- Result ready
Analyzing your file...
Here's what we recovered.
Review the watermarked preview before checkout.
Repair your file
Choose a supported file to see what can be repaired before checkout.
Simulated checkout — no payment is processed.
Optional — we'll email your private download link.
You preview before you pay. If the download is materially worse than the preview you approved, we'll refund you.
Your files auto-delete — delete them sooner anytime
No person looks at your file as part of repair
We couldn't recover this one.
The file is too damaged to rebuild, so there is nothing to preview and no charge.
What stopped you continuing? One tap tells us why.
Try a deep repair
The repair engine can try a longer pass on the file you already uploaded.
Machine-only processing; no human views files; nothing is sent to an outside AI.
Have another clip from the same device?
A healthy video recorded on the same device — ideally the same settings — gives the repair engine a template to rebuild from. It can unlock repairs that fail on their own.
Unrepaired files are kept encrypted for up to 30 days, then deleted.
FileFix can't fix that kind of file yet.
Right now we repair video, audio, document, and image files (MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV, AVI, TS, MTS, M2TS, MPG, MPEG, VOB, 3GP, WebM, FLV, M4A, WAV, MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, OPUS, AIFF, XLSX, DOCX, PPTX, ODT, ZIP, RAR, PDF, AI, HEIC, and HEIF). We're adding support for more formats over time.
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Why this happens
HEIC is the format iPhones and many Android phones use for photos. Windows and some older apps need an extra HEIF and HEVC decoder to open it, so a healthy HEIC can show "can't open this file" on a computer that simply lacks that decoder. In that case every HEIC photo fails the same way, and installing the decoder or exporting the photo as JPEG from the phone is the fix; there is nothing to repair.
When other HEIC photos open on the same device and one does not, the file itself is usually damaged: a transfer or cloud sync that stopped early, a memory card error, or bytes changed inside the container so the viewer cannot find or read the image data.
FileFix checks the uploaded file mechanically. It offers a result only when the primary image's pixels decode completely, shows it as a watermarked preview, and delivers it as a PNG. It does not return a HEIC file, and it does not recover metadata, extra images in the container or Live Photo video.
What this repair can and cannot return
We can usually fix
- A complete, decodable primary HEIC or HEIF image
- A repaired PNG with the decoded image dimensions
We can't fix
- Files whose image pixels are missing or cannot be decoded
- Metadata, multiple-image preservation, or Live Photo recovery
How it works
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Upload Upload one HEIC or HEIF file.
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Free watermarked preview We decode recoverable image data and show a watermarked image preview before payment.
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Pay & download If the preview is useful, pay once and download the repaired PNG.
A preview is offered only when complete image pixels decode successfully.
See what's recoverable.
Free watermarked preview · repaired PNG · pay only if it worked
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Questions
If no HEIC photo opens on the computer, it lacks a HEIF and HEVC decoder. Install one from the Microsoft Store, or set the phone to export photos as JPEG. The photos are not damaged, so no repair is needed.
Open it in a second app or on a second device, and compare it with another HEIC photo taken on the same phone. If the others open and this one fails everywhere, the file is likely damaged and worth a repair attempt.
No. When the image decodes, the repaired download is a PNG made from the primary image. PNG opens on Windows, Mac, phones and browsers without an extra decoder.