image/*
image/heic
File extensions: .heic, .heif
High Efficiency Image Container — Apple's default photo format on iOS.
What is image/heic?
image/heic is the media type for HEIC images — the default format iPhone cameras produce since iOS 11. It halves file size compared to JPEG at similar quality but is not natively supported by non-Apple browsers.
Typical usage
iPhone/iPad photo uploads. Server-side transcoding to JPEG or WebP is usually required for cross-platform display.
Common gotchas
Browsers other than Safari cannot display HEIC. Detect the format on upload and transcode server-side.
HTTP header example
Response header
Content-Type: image/heicFrequently asked questions
What is the image/heic MIME type?
image/heic is the media type for HEIC images — the default format iPhone cameras produce since iOS 11. It halves file size compared to JPEG at similar quality but is not natively supported by non-Apple browsers.
What file extension does image/heic use?
Files served as image/heic typically use the extensions .heic, .heif. The most common is .heic.
How do I set the Content-Type for image/heic?
Send the HTTP response header Content-Type: image/heic. iPhone/iPad photo uploads. Server-side transcoding to JPEG or WebP is usually required for cross-platform display.
Is image/heic an official MIME type?
Yes. image/heic is officially registered with IANA, so standards-conformant clients recognize it.
What are common mistakes with image/heic?
Browsers other than Safari cannot display HEIC. Detect the format on upload and transcode server-side.