On Windows 10, the codecs may already be available, but you will have to install them from the Microsoft Store if they are not. How to add HEIF codec support on Windows 10 In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through the steps to add full support for HEIF on a device, helping you avoid extra steps to convert HEIC to JPG to view pictures. If you want to play H.265 videos, you still have to install the HEVC extension. However, this is only for the image codec (MPEG-H Part 2). On Windows 10, support for HEIF comes pre-installed on every installation starting with the October 2018 Update. For instance, Google began using this format in 2018 with the Android 9 Pie mobile OS release.
On computing, the High-Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) is a container for images and videos designed specifically to improve the compression of files and at the same time continue improving image quality and additional benefits over older formats (JPEG, PNG, and GIF) and videos using the High-Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) specification.Īlthough the file format existed for many years, it was not until Apple began using the HEIF container to save photos on its devices that it became popular, and other companies started adopting it into their platforms.