PNG to HEIF Converter
Convert PNG files (released 1996, Lossless) to HEIF (Lossy or lossless (HEVC family), typically ~50% smaller than equivalent JPEG). Runs in your browser — no upload, no signup.
Based on 12,431+ conversions delivered
Need to turn PNG files into HEIF? This tool does it in seconds, right in your browser. PNG is known for Screenshots, icons, logos, any image with transparency and HEIF for Modern Apple devices, Android camera pipelines that emit HEIF, so the conversion makes sense whenever your workflow has standardised on HEIF or your target platform expects it. Output size depends on the resolution and content of your source image. There's no software to install and nothing is sent to a server — the fast path encodes locally and hands you the file immediately. Read on for a plain-language comparison of PNG and HEIF, the settings that matter, the pitfalls to avoid, and answers to the questions people ask most about PNG → HEIF.
Looking to programmatically convert PNG to HEIF?
Same engine, available as a JSON API. Drop a file or URL via REST and get the converted output back — no browser, no UI, no rate limits on paid tiers.
Sub-second response on common pairs
Webhook delivery for batch jobs
100+ format pairs supported
PNG vs HEIF — side-by-side
The numbers and capabilities at a glance, so you know what you're trading.
PNG
- Year released
- 1996
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Yes (full alpha)
- Animation
- No (use APNG / GIF / WebP)
- Browser support
- Universal (every browser since the 90s)
- Best for
- Screenshots, icons, logos, any image with transparency
HEIF
- Year released
- 2015 (MPEG)
- Compression
- Lossy or lossless (HEVC family)
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- Yes
- Browser support
- Safari only — convert for cross-platform delivery
- Best for
- Modern Apple devices, Android camera pipelines that emit HEIF
Heads up before converting PNG → HEIF
What changes — and what your conversion will cost — based on how PNG and HEIF differ.
Older clients may not render HEIF
HEIF support: Safari only — convert for cross-platform delivery. Modern browsers and OS image viewers handle it natively, but legacy email clients, older CMS thumbnailers, and some print/design tools still don't. Confirm the downstream consumers in your pipeline accept HEIF before swapping at scale, or ship a PNG fallback for the long tail.
Chroma subsampling kicks in
PNG stores full-resolution colour channels. HEIF's default lossy mode subsamples chroma (typically 4:2:0) — half the colour information thrown away to save bytes. The effect is invisible on photos but visible on sharp text, fine lines, and saturated edges (chromatic aberration around text, halos on logos). For UI screenshots and graphic content, prefer a target without chroma subsampling (PNG, WebP-lossless, AVIF 4:4:4) instead.
Best practices for PNG → HEIF
Concrete settings to pick before you convert PNG to HEIF.
- Always preview the HEIF output before bulk-downloading — colour shifts, transparency surprises, and quality artifacts show up in the preview before they ship.
- Strip EXIF metadata if file size or privacy matters — camera GPS coordinates, timestamps, and serial numbers travel inside the image bytes by default.
- For photographic content, target a HEIF quality between 80 and 85 — that's the sweet spot where most encoders stop showing visible artifacts and the file size curve flattens.
- Verify the alpha channel rendered as expected — premultiplied vs straight alpha and edge halos around antialiased pixels are the most common surprises when going to HEIF.
- For web HEIF delivery, encode in sRGB — wider colour spaces (Display P3, ProPhoto) render unpredictably across browsers and email clients.
When NOT to convert PNG → HEIF
Honest cases where this conversion is the wrong call — pick a different format or keep your PNG source.
Skip if your audience uses legacy browsers
HEIF doesn't render on every old browser, email client, or built-in OS viewer. If your traffic includes IE11, legacy Outlook, or older Android WebViews, stay on PNG (or a universal format like JPEG/PNG) — or ship HEIF alongside a fallback via the HTML <picture> element.
Skip if the file is bound for print
HEIF is a delivery-grade web format. Print pipelines (offset, large-format, packaging) expect TIFF, PDF, or high-bit-depth PNG with embedded ICC profiles and a CMYK option. Converting PNG to HEIF for a print job will likely fail prepress checks — keep the original or convert to a print-friendly format instead.
The importance of a good image conversion
Why getting PNG → HEIF right matters more than you think.
Frequently asked
The basics everyone asks before dropping a file.
Convert PNG to other formats
Convert other formats to HEIF