One of my friends occasionally emails me HEIC files which I receive on my chromebook. I would like to be able to just click the attachment and open it without having to go through any extra steps (I don’t want to have to save it, rename it, convert it by going to some website, etc.). I can’t find a way to do that. Is it possible? I looked for chrome extensions and they all seem to involve going to some web site to convert the file.
I haven’t encountered HEIC files (they are iApple picture files from a quick search), but I have found WEBP files which is the new google picture format, so maybe it’s a similar solution.
I drag-n-drop a webp file into a webpage (I use Firefox), which displays the picture. If you want to save it, copy image then paste into your picture program (I use an antique Paint Shop Pro, but I assume others are similar), then do a saveas to jpg file. The file name doesn’t carry through so you have to copy/paste the name when you saveas. Note that saveas from the webpage keeps the webp format so I assume simlar for HEIC.
Unless, of course, Apple picture files are even more protective than google files. The key is dropping the file into a web browser page and let it do the converting.
I use a windows computer, by the way.
Thanks for the info, it is generally helpful. But in my case, I get HEIC attachments via email that I’m not sure I even want to see. So I don’t want to go through all of the trouble of dragging & dropping, etc. just to find it’s something stupid that I didn’t want to see in the first place.
Like the silly little company logos after the sender’s name at the bottom? Yeah, they are silly, and annoying!
I’m not at all familiar with Chromebooks, but it looks like you can get a viewer for them at HEIC Image Viewer Decoder - Chrome Web Store
With Windows 10, it’s easier, but it’ll cost you a buck to buy one of the codecs from Microsoft. (How rude!) How to Open HEIC Files on Windows
Hi thanks, tried that chrome extension. When I click on the attachment, I get “no preview available” and I have to download it (as HEIC) then process it, etc. I’d like to be able to just click on the attachment and view it.
Did you associate the HEIC file extension with the app?
On a chromebook? No. How does one do that?
I looked into associating the extension and tried to do it. The HEIC extensions do not show up when I try to open an HEIC file and “select app”, even when I choose “see more”. The “extension” that I supposedly installed does not show up. The HEIC “extensions” in the Play store really don’t seem to function as apps, they are web URLs for online decoding.
It’s possible this is a licensing/patents/royalties issue. See
, keeping in mind that is old news. But, basically, Chrome and Firefox support AVIF right now and don’t want you to use HEIC. I don’t have a Chromebook for testing but you could check if the latest version of Firefox supports HEIC natively, but I have not read anywhere that it does.
Perhaps one of these would work? Both are free for personal use and appear to be apps that actually get installed.
Also, is your friend emailing you from an iPhone? If so, there are two options they could change:
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Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible. All photos will be saved as JPG instead of HEIC.
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Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Automatic. If a particular photo is in HEIC format, it will be converted to JPG when sent to another device.
Mea culpa, I forgot you were using a chromebook, not Windows.
Assuming you use a webmail client (e.g. gmail.com), this could theoretically be done with some sort of extension that would notice the HEIC file and convert it in place to a file your browser can display. But I only see that one extension linked above. I guess you could ask the extension creator to see if they would add this to their exentension.
If you’re using some separate email client, then I don’t think there’s a way.
It’s Xfinity email on a chromebook.
As long as you go to a web address to open it, what I’m saying should apply.
I wish I could be of more help. Still, do mention it to the developer of the app mentioned above.