How to Enable High Efficiency Formats (HEIF/HEVC) on iPhone & iPad

Use efficient HEIF and HEVC formats to reduce photo and video file sizes by up to 50%.

Cut your photo and video storage usage in half by using modern High Efficiency formats.

Why This Matters

High Efficiency formats (HEIF for photos, HEVC for videos) provide:

• Same visual quality as JPEG/H.264
• 50% smaller file sizes
• Better compression technology
• Support for advanced features (Live Photos, depth data)

Storage savings: 40-50% for both photos and videos

What Are HEIF and HEVC?

HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format)

• Modern photo format replacing JPEG
• Introduced with iOS 11
• Extension: .heic

HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)

• Modern video format replacing H.264
• Also called H.265
• Much more efficient compression

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open Settings

Tap Settings on your home screen.

2. Go to Camera

Scroll down and tap Camera.

3. Tap Formats

Tap Formats near the top.

4. Select High Efficiency

Tap High Efficiency.

✅ Done! New photos and videos will use efficient formats.

What Changes?

Before (Most Compatible):

• Photos: JPEG (.jpg)
• Videos: H.264 (.mov)
• Photo size: 3-5MB
• Video: 200MB per minute

After (High Efficiency):

• Photos: HEIF (.heic)
• Videos: HEVC (.mov)
• Photo size: 1-2MB (50% smaller)
• Video: 100MB per minute (50% smaller)

File Size Comparison

1000 photos:

• JPEG: 3-5GB
• HEIF: 1.5-2.5GB
• Savings: ~2GB

10 minutes of video:

• H.264: 2GB
• HEVC: 1GB
• Savings: 1GB

Compatibility

Works with:

• ✅ iPhone and iPad (iOS 11+)
• ✅ Mac (macOS High Sierra+)
• ✅ Windows 10+ (with codec installed)
• ✅ Google Photos
• ✅ iCloud Photos
• ✅ Most modern apps

May not work with:

• ❌ Very old computers
• ❌ Some Android devices (older models)
• ❌ Some older photo editing software
• ❌ Some website upload forms

When to Use Most Compatible

Choose “Most Compatible” (JPEG/H.264) if you:

• Regularly share with users on old devices
• Use older photo editing software
• Need maximum compatibility
• Work with professional photography (some prefer RAW)

Note: You can always change back anytime.

Sharing Photos in Compatible Formats

Even with High Efficiency enabled, iOS automatically converts to JPEG when:

• Sharing via email
• Sharing via Messages (to non-Apple devices)
• Uploading to most websites
• Using AirDrop to incompatible devices

You get the best of both worlds: Efficient storage + compatible sharing.

Does Quality Suffer?

No. HEIF and HEVC provide:

• Same or better visual quality
• Same color depth
• Better compression algorithm
• Support for more features (depth, wide color)

Professional photographers and Apple engineers designed these formats to maintain quality while reducing file size.

Storage Impact Over Time

1 year of photos (5000 photos, 100 videos):

• JPEG/H.264: 35-40GB
• HEIF/HEVC: 18-20GB
• Total savings: ~20GB

5 years:

• Savings: ~100GB

How to Check Current Format

For a photo:

1. Open Photos app
2. Select a photo
3. Swipe up
4. Look at file format info

For a video:

1. Open Photos app
2. Select a video
3. Swipe up
4. Check codec info

Converting Existing Photos

Existing photos stay in their current format. High Efficiency only affects:

• New photos you take
• New videos you record

To convert existing photos, you’d need a third-party app or computer software.

Our Recommendation

Enable High Efficiency unless you have a specific reason not to.

Benefits far outweigh drawbacks:

• ✅ 50% storage savings
• ✅ Same quality
• ✅ Automatic conversion when sharing
• ✅ Future-proof format

Works on iPhone and iPad

High Efficiency formats are supported on:

• iPhone 7 and later
• iPad (6th generation) and later
• iPad Pro (all models)
• iPad Air (3rd generation) and later
• iPad mini (5th generation) and later

All running iOS 11 or later.

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