Opening HEIC On Windows 10?

[FN-GM]

You cannot open HEIC image files that are produced by the camera on IOS devices on Windows 10. Having a look at options online means you either have to pay for an app or have a watermark on the image.

 

I am wondering if anyone knows of a free method to open these files please?

 

Thanks

[Arthur]

I am wondering if anyone knows of a free method to open these files please?

According to the IrfanView FAQ you need the following two extensions from the Microsoft Store to view HEIC files for free on Windows 10.

 

www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/hevc-video-extensions-from-device-manufacturer/9n4wgh0z6vhq (see note below)

www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/heif-image-extensions/9pmmsr1cgpwg

 

Note: If you are not signed into a Microsoft account you will be prompted to redeem a code to get the extension. It's only available for free when you are signed in.

[FN-GM]

The "HEVC Video Extensions from the Device Manufacturer" isn't appearing on the Business Store for some reason. As a result I can't get it into SCCM.

[CHSGM]

I used https://store.rg-adguard.net/ and downloaded the necessary appxpackages from there directly, then imported them into SCCM. Due to roaming profiles for students, this did not work even after installing. Following removal of their roaming profile and delprof to local machines, now seems to work absolutely fine.

 

Also updated our 21H1 wim and injected the appx packages directly into that to make life somewhat easier. If you need the files, I've uploaded them here

Edited June 17, 2021 by CHSGM

[andy_b]

In the past we have used https://imazing.com/heic

 

Pretty much got everyone to change iPad setting back to "Most compatible" though.

[DavR]

Also updated our 21H1 wim and injected the appx packages directly into that to make life somewhat easier. If you need the files, I've uploaded them here

 

This could be really useful, thanks! I did try and deploy these out to our existing 1909 machines but had no luck, reimaging to 20H2 over the summer so now might be the time to add those in.

 

I'm presuming these are the provisioned apps? From experience that means a quick logon script to install the new provisioned apps into existing profiles (still using roaming here).

[CHSGM]

Yeah, I just used the add-AppxProvisionedPackage cmdlet when using DISM on the wim. I somewhat think our deployment straight from SCCM worked as well *When selecting the 'Provision the application for all user on the device'* but roaming profiles were being troublesome when testing at the time.

[DavR]

My experience of adding things to provisioned packages on a device is that they will only install into new profiles. So, if your user has either a profile on the device, or a roaming profile, then the new provisioned package won't install.

 

I got round this by sticking a logon script that registered the new package per user using regular Add-AppxPackage.

[KardoAmeen]

Hi,

I have been trying to deploy other windows apps but Microsoft couldn't have made it any more difficult! are there any other methods to go about this other than downloading the appxpackages? after all, I , as IT admin, would like to centralize software life cycle. Apologies if I come across as abbrasive but it's quite frustrating to deploy windows app centrally unlike .exe and .msi files.

 

Thank you.

[DavR]

I think the official, supported, solution to deploy appx packages is through SCCM. You can set this up to link to your Windows Store account for your organisation.

 

I found that whole process a bit of a pain, frankly. When I need to roll out appx packages (rarely) I either put those apps into my Windows 10 build using DISM, OR, get the appx files from https://store.rg-adguard.net/ and install via PowerShell startup script. There is some provision as well, if you have purchased apps, to download appxbundle files from Windows Store, which can be installed via PowerShell script.

 

It's very fiddly whatever path you take though. The whole appx concept is very much built around users going to the Windows Store and downloading things themselves.

[KardoAmeen]

Thanks for the reply. It is indeed pain and i'm in the same situation, fortunately, its only 2 apps that I wanted to deploy so far on few machines but the prospect of organisation-wide deployment is worrying and wanted to be on the top of it before I'm given the task. The app is a free one but I couldn't find it in the list of apps that are available to me. I can understand the concept is for end users to be in control of the apps, but that is not how it works in business environment and the last thing you would want is to give the end user authority to add apps in discretion. In terms of DISM option though, Do you add the package before deployment or add it with online DISM?

 

Thanks

[DavR]

My preference would always be to add the app to the Windows 10 image before deployment. For instance, having seen some of the comments on this thread, I will be adding the HEIC / HEVC packages to my new Windows 10 image, which I shall be using to reimage all of our devices over the summer.

 

If that's not possible though, you can add them to an existing installed OS using "Add-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online".

 

The syntax to add either can be found here - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/dism/add-appxprovisionedpackage?view=windowsserver2019-ps

[KardoAmeen]

I can add the package to the image as well but the issue is that we are not reimaging every device. I think I will try the logon/startup script and see how would that pan out. Getting hold of the package itself is another challenge on its good own but I guess that's what MS decided to change the concept of installing new software. I tried to find the package from the directory where initially installed but had no luck with that either.

[DavR]

What was the package you were looking for? If you can find the link to the package via Microsoft Store pages, and put it into https://store.rg-adguard.net/, you can download the installer files for most things. I had success with HEIC/HEVC by downloading the appx and BlockMap files from there, then installing using the command:

 

Add-AppxProvisionedPackage -online -PackagePath [path to files]\Microsoft.HEIFImageExtension_1.0.40978.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.Appx -SkipLicense

[KardoAmeen]

This is the link to the app https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/easysense2/9nks437swj7f?rtc=1&activetab=pivot:overviewtab , it gives me a big list of appx packages, How would you know which one to use?

[DavR]

I would install it manually on one device, then check from there which version it's installed. By the look of it, you should also which dependencies you're going to need to go with it.

[mullet_man]

What was the package you were looking for? If you can find the link to the package via Microsoft Store pages, and put it into https://store.rg-adguard.net/, you can download the installer files for most things. I had success with HEIC/HEVC by downloading the appx and BlockMap files from there, then installing using the command:

 

Add-AppxProvisionedPackage -online -PackagePath [path to files]\Microsoft.HEIFImageExtension_1.0.40978.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.Appx -SkipLicense

 

Thanks for this, last year we had photography classes and lots of pupils took photos on their iPhones and could never get them opened. This will help greatly.

 

Cheers.

[DavR]

Thanks for this, last year we had photography classes and lots of pupils took photos on their iPhones and could never get them opened. This will help greatly.

 

Cheers.

 

Glad to be of help!

 

There is a postscript on this btw. When I was playing with my new build in production, I found that for the HEIC/HEIF app to install into the new user profile, you needed to have the correct version of VC Libs 140 as a dependency provisioned in your build as well. Find it on the rd-adguard site when downloading the appx packages.

Edited July 29, 2021 by DavR

[mullet_man]

Glad to be of help!

 

There is a postscript on this btw. When I was playing with my new build in production, I found that for the HEIC/HEIF app to install into the new user profile, you needed to have the correct version of VC Libs 140 as a dependency provisioned in your build as well. Find it on the rd-adguard site when downloading the appx packages.

Ah ok I tested this remotely on a device and it seemed to work with just the heic and heic video extension but I'll check again tomorrow and on a pupil login.

 

Am using 20H2 currently.

[DavR]

Ah ok I tested this remotely on a device and it seemed to work with just the heic and heic video extension but I'll check again tomorrow and on a pupil login.

 

Am using 20H2 currently.

20H2 here also. It added to Windows just find on its own using Add-AppxProvisionedPackage, but I found it didn't register in new user profiles without the correct VC Libs version also provisioned.

[Scrambles]

This is available from VLSC now

MSI download for HEVC Video Extensions

 

We deployed via SCCM and can open them now. Having some issues with Photoshop (cs6) however.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Scrambles

[ITGURU]

I am testing, and will probably deploy the MSI of 'ImageGlass' - seems to open all the HEIC files i've tested with so far.

[DavR]

Can't see the MSI in our VLSC yet

 

Will definitely save this info for use in my next image though.

[DBazeley95]

This is something I built to reinstall apps removed from our custom WIM for MDT and also install the HEIC/HEVC codecs: https://github.com/dbazeley95/Install-AppX-DefaultApps

 

Just incase it helps anyone.

Edited December 16, 2021 by DBazeley95

[chazzy2501]

I have the pupils email them