How do you handle HEIC/HEIF photos from iPhones on Windows 11 in enterprise environments?

Posted by pck-grb@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 91 comments

Hello,

We’re running Windows 11 on our endpoints and are currently rolling out iPhones.

By default, iPhones take photos in the HEIF/HEIC format unless the camera settings are changed. The problem is that Windows 11 cannot open these files out of the box.

As far as I understand, the following Microsoft Store components are required:

HEIF Image Extensions https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9pmmsr1cgpwg?hl=de-DE&gl=DE
HEVC Video Extensions https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nmzlz57r3t7?hl=de-DE&gl=DE

The second extension costs €0.99 per user/device.

I’m aware that the AppxBundle files can be found on various websites, but from a licensing and compliance perspective that does not seem like a clean enterprise solution.

How are other companies handling this?

We surely can’t be the only organization with Windows endpoints and iPhones where users need to open HEIC/HEIF photos. Since the Microsoft Store for Business has been retired, I’m wondering what the recommended or practical enterprise approach is now.

Are you:

changing iPhone camera settings to “Most Compatible”?
deploying codecs/extensions via Intune somehow?
using third-party image viewers/converters?
purchasing the HEVC extension for users/devices?
handling this through another process entirely?

I’d be interested in hearing how others solve this in a compliant and manageable way.

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noOneCaresOnTheWeb@reddit

There is or at least used to be a manufacturer's version of HEVC Video, technically the hardware company has already paid the license fee.

It might not be publicly available anymore but I'm sure you can find it.

The codec is also a part of VLC if you can get that approved.

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fahque@reddit

Installing vlc won't let you view those pics in photos.

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OcotilloWells@reddit

Even Videolan says so. They suggest a image conversion software that's fairly cheap (free for personal use). It has a heic driver in it, you don't have to convert to view.

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mixduptransistor@reddit

what is the workflow and use case?

if you use the share button in Photos, it will export them as jpegs

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

Many of our users use Microsoft OneDrive with automatic camera upload, so HEIC/HEIF photos are synced directly to their Windows devices.

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OneSeaworthiness7768@reddit

Is there a business use case for these photos?

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Bio_Hazardous@reddit

What are you, his fucking boss? Answer the question or don't, quit the grilling, it's Reddit.

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OneSeaworthiness7768@reddit

Because if it’s for personal use then it’s not worth spending time trying to solve? Thought that was a fairly obvious point. But go off.

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Bio_Hazardous@reddit

If it was for personal use he wouldn't be here asking the question in the first place, the underlying context could not be more clear. Go off yourself there buddy, learn what a context clue is.

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OneSeaworthiness7768@reddit

Surely we never get questions from inexperienced solo IT guys working at small businesses that might think it’s normal for them to have to solve a user’s personal photo issue because they don’t know any better without people pointing out they shouldn’t do that. Nope. Your tantrum must be justified.

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Bio_Hazardous@reddit

Yes and you could have spent your valuable time doing literally anything other than adding pointless questions. So what if it was for personal? You going to call the mods yourself to shut down the thread for a question that isn't strictly for professional use only? Give me a break. Go outside you fucking loser.

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

Yes, there is.

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statikuz@reddit

Yes

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elatllat@reddit

OneDrive

I'd have a Linux VM mount the cloud storage and convert the files.

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angrydeuce@reddit

I have the copy from the microsoft store before they started charging money for it lol

Still works just fine, and thank god I downloaded that locally when I did lol

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Typical-Road-6161@reddit

Microsoft.HECVVideoExtensions.Installer.x64 —- we install this in our gold image. Works perfectly for pics and vids.

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jake04-20@reddit

Be careful, people around here hate gold images.

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Lukage@reddit

What?

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jake04-20@reddit

Where is the confusion? What can I clarify?

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Lukage@reddit

Who is against this? What would they do instead? Why would this be bad? I haven’t seen that sort of commentary.

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Cooleb09@reddit

In MS's View it is 'legacy' and should be replaced by Intune/Autopilot. And the community has been advised to feel the same way.

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FireLucid@reddit

As the person that deals with this at my company and having lurked on the SCCM sub for years along with here, yeah.

A fat or golden image is seen as the old way of doing things. Now, in some cases it does make sense, but not the standard office computer.

Just use a generic Windows ISO/WIM and do all your customization after. You could just drop the new H1/H2 wim into your task sequence and carry on every 6 months (12 now). Need to update an app or whatever? Just drop that in, no need to image and capture again etc.

Now with Autopilot, it's pretty much the same. Machine comes with Windows + drivers and no bloat. Run through autopilot, a few core things install and done. Other non core but important stuff will install after logon, user can then pick and choose other optional stuff.

I will say we have some fast USBs with OSDCloud on it, it's so much quicker than the Intune wipe method 👌

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jake04-20@reddit

I've had many back and forths with other admins on the subject. It just seems like people in this sub are against fat/reference/golden images (whatever you want to refer to them as) where you bake in software and custom config on a reference machine, sysprep, and capture it to redeploy to other machines. They say it's archaic and convoluted to manage (which there is some truth to, for sure).

When you try to say "well my software doesn't support scripted silent installs (only GUI installs), and even if they did, it would take 6 hours to image a machine vs. 45 mins" they go 'in my org I would outright refuse to manage said software in that case, and demand that management find a new vendor that fits within my modern imaging solution' as if that flies in the real world.

Then they try to point you to Intune and Autopilot as a worthy successor to PXE booting with MDT or SCCM, as if those technologies are in the same realm of capabilities. I can't be convinced that the admins at orgs that claim to do ALL of their system imagining with Intune and Autopilot alone, aren't pushing a few web browsers, maybe a lightweight app or two, and the office suite. Which in that case, good for them, I'm envious. But unfortunately, that doesn't work for our needs where I work.

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xendr0me@reddit

So you can just push the MSI file if you want to use your own app/package management solution.

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BCIT_Richard@reddit

Yeah, you actually need this to view both, you can't view HEIC without it.

Been there, dealt with that. K-Lite is what we use.

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brnstormer@reddit

Just gave a user klite today,what a coincidence! Seems to be an isolated incident.....most user have the 'from the manufacturer' hvec codec, odd dependancy

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NoobAdmin430@reddit

Second K-Lite.

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axonxorz@reddit

you can't view HEIC without it.

Aye, this is because an HEIC is just (most often) just a single HEVC I-frame, an exceeding short "video".

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BCIT_Richard@reddit

That makes sense, and is wild. TIL. Thanks!

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Typical-Road-6161@reddit

We got our MSI from the VLSC site.

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TechSupportIgit@reddit

Neat. Wish I could have played around with the big boy stuff. All I had was WSUS but luckily our environment was kinda basic OT environment.

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Enxer@reddit

Wsus package publisher was what I used for deployment

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TechSupportIgit@reddit

...you guys have package automation?

Yes I was flying by the seat of my pants.

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UnexpectedAnomaly@reddit

This is how we handled it in my environment worked great.

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dRaidon@reddit

This is not enterprise ready.

But I had a small construction client once. They were very non-technical and just couldn't figure out how to do it. So I made a device.

A raspberry pi labled 'Image Converter'. They plug in a usb drive with the HEIC pictures on it. A scrip that run on it automatically mount, converts, put the images on the same drive and then unmounts.

As it was something physical, they had zero issues in using it. Not the most elegant solution, but it's been six years now and I have zero doubt it still sit on the desk it was on and still converts their inspection images.

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BrockLobster@reddit

Nice solution. Did it inform the operator in any way when it was done?

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TCB13sQuotes@reddit

In cases where the Microsoft package is not available (ie europe) another alternative is this https://github.com/prsyahmi/wic_heic

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lart2150@reddit

Just keep in mind that if you are very large ~~business~~ target patents still apply to open source software.

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BrentNewland@reddit

Such as VLC, which is based out of France and didn't pay any licensing fees.

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TCB13sQuotes@reddit

And everyone deploys 😂😂

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the tip. We're based in Europe and I can't find anything in our VLSC.

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TootSaloon@reddit

If you can't rely on the Microsoft HEIF/HEVC extensions being available in your region, conversion is way you can go.

If the photos land on Windows via OneDrive camera upload, you can convert on ingest so downstream apps only ever see JPEG. If the photos are being emailed or shared out of the Photos app, iOS often exports as JPEG already.

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CountyBrilliant@reddit

We pushed the HEVC extension through Intune and called it done. Changing iPhone camera defaults just created confusion and random support tickets later

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BrentNewland@reddit

I've deployed the OEM store app via Intune, pretty straightforward. I've also deployed by downloading the appx file. There's also winget.

Word of warning, HP and Dell have stopped paying the H.265 (HEVC) licensing, so if you have computers bought since Q4 2025, they may not have a license or ability to use the Microsoft codec https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/hp-and-dell-disable-hevc-support-built-into-their-laptops-cpus/

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ccsrpsw@reddit

So short answer is - most places don't. In fact a lot of work places have a "no photos" in the workplace type rule, and if you are approved to take photos you get regular cameras.

Now that said - there are places and industries where that's not the case and lots of people need to take lots of photos (manufacturing, construction, aerospace etc.). So with that first part out of the way.

For the actual answers:

- Do you have an MDM or is it BYOD? If you have an MDM you can force the photos to JPEG. (Although I also get why you might need the higher quality formats.

- Windows 11 "Photos" app has HEIC support. Its not in there by default, but if you open a file the "old way" (right click, open with, open with Photos) it will prompt for the (free) HEIC extensions. Which, okay, comes from the Store, but is quick, easy and free.

- HEVC is H.265 I believe (or derived thereof). I'm not 100% sure the license fee is valid anymore - I thought it had been 'thrown out' or limited due to its pervasiveness now. Look around - because I'm pretty sure VLC supports it. I know I know - VLC has had issues, but if you keep it patched it will do what you need. Again - free.

Get both of those into a golden image / autopilot script, call it good, and you don't need to pay.

Congrats on getting people to auto upload to OneDrive though btw - that's by far and away the best solution in a non-CUI/ECI world.

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frnxt@reddit

The HEIC extensions are not free for all machines: they depend on whether the manufacturer of your machine paid the HEVC license (AFAIK) and whether Windows can pick up that signal and show you the "free" instead of "0.99€". My work machine shows the latter, for example.

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statikuz@reddit

If you have an MDM you can force the photos to JPEG.

I couldn't find how to do this, any suggestions?

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stillpiercer_@reddit

It’s a setting under the camera app. You force the camera app to save photos/videos under the “most compatible” format instead of “high efficiency”. Exactly how you do this likely varies based on your MDM.

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korvolga@reddit

Not a single mdm can do this today.

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statikuz@reddit

Exactly how you do this likely varies based on your MDM.

I know the setting, but it doesn't seem that Apple allows configuration of this via MDM.

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

We use Intune as our MDM for smartphones, but I can't find any relevant setting there either.

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BloodFeastMan@reddit

xnview makes a freeware command line converter that you can use in scripts:

https://www.xnview.com/en/nconvert/#downloads

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Unlucky_Gark@reddit

If it is from internal users iPhones I send an email to all staff teaching them to change their settings to save the pictures as jpg’s. I include pictures, arrows and instructions so simple anyone at all can do it. It’s perfect. I then resend the email every 3-5 days for the rest of my career because no one can read and disregards everything until they open a ticket saying “my phone sucks because I can’t open the pictures on my computer”

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

Haha, that's the problem with instructions. Feel it.

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DiHydro@reddit

You need to use your MDM to set the setting. You do have an MDM right? Even Intune is fine for basic set ups.

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

See the other comments regarding MDM. Not possible.

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javerys11@reddit

iMazing converter: https://imazing.com/converter

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sexaddic@reddit

MDM your iPhones to use jpeg compatible settings instead of HEIC.

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

We are using Intune. Tell me how.

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sexaddic@reddit

Oh just looked that up wow, can’t change that sorry.

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D3xbot@reddit

Advise users to change their settings to "Most Compatible" and https://imazing.com/converter

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film_maker2@reddit

You can use LiveConvert to batch convert from HEIC to JPG: https://apps.apple.com/no/app/liveconvert-heic-to-jpg/id6747953805

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RandomPony@reddit

XNViewer MP

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

It's like IrfanView — not free for businesses.

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TYGRDez@reddit

We use ImageGlass, which is free for both personal and commercial use.

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itskdog@reddit

Since 24H2 the codecs are pre-installed once again.

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

Also in Europe?

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itskdog@reddit

They were in the UK in the English (International) ISO

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Own-Slide-3171@reddit

I convert them to a better format for the few we get

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greenstarthree@reddit

Repair installing windows restored the ability to read HEIC files natively for us.

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themanonthemooo@reddit

Config policy, most compatible.

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

Not possible via MDM.

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korewarp@reddit

Use human interface.

Force users to manually change setting to Most Compatible (aka JPEG).

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themanonthemooo@reddit

We don't use Microsoft :) We use Sophos Mobile :)

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No-Youth-4579@reddit

We instruct our users to download the appxbundle from https://store.rg-adguard.net/ Seem to work fine (in EU).

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Kreuzi4@reddit

i do it like that if someone needs it:
install this from the windows store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9n4wgh0z6vhq?hl=en-gb&gl=GB&ocid=pdpshare
also the APPS "MediaPlayer" and "Movie & TV" have to be installed (from the store)
lastly i install the codec pack "wicheic_v1.0.8-x64.msi" and it imidatly works then.

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

That's officially not available in Europe, unfortunately. Should have mentioned our location earlier.

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Kreuzi4@reddit

im also in EU, just skip the first link, install the 2 native apps and the codec pack

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pck-grb@reddit (OP)

We tested that and it works, but in my opinion it's not clean from a licensing perspective. We're not a 5-person shop.

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Kreuzi4@reddit

its open source and only available on git hub, you are save. the company i work for is worth a bililon €, you will be ok.

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mr_d_jaeger@reddit

We use ImageMagick to convert heic to jpg.

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01101110011O1111@reddit

I work with police that get a variety of media formats sent to them, so a lot of the stuff we get is out of our control on format. I just installed converters on their machines - xnconvert for photos, handbrake for videos - to cover the usecases and gave a short training. At the end of the day, if the user needs to have access to multiple media formats, they are going to run into issues somewhere along the line and they need to have some technical competency.

We set the officer phones to take pictures in most compatible, but it doesnt cover everything, so what can you do.

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brisquet@reddit

I tell users to change the phone settings. If they have already taken a bunch of photos, and I mean dozens, then I will use imagemagick to convert them to JPEG for free and then tell them to change their phone settings.

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jando_13@reddit

I use imazing converter app. It’s easy to use, just drag and drop.

Latest windows 11 version already supports heic format out of the box.

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titsablast@reddit

3rd party image viewers with HEIC Support: * QView - free, open source, very few features * BandiView Pro - Well lots of users like it, per device licensing.

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alphageek8@reddit

We make iMazing HEIC converter available through the store to enforce conversion. Bottom line is that those images have potential of interacting other applications downstream that don't support HEIC so maximizing compatibility from the start is necessary.

That works at my org but obviously won't apply everywhere.

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