Convert PDF to HEIC on Mac

Select the PDF files in Finder, press ⌥ F, choose HEIC and press Return. FileFlip saves each HEIC next to its original and works without an internet connection.

Coming soon for MacComing soon · macOS 14 Sonoma or later

How to convert PDF to HEIC with FileFlip

Select the PDF files
In Finder or on the Desktop. One file, or a whole folder with ⌘ A.
Press ⌥ F
FileFlip opens next to the selection and lists the formats it can make from PDF. Type “HEIC” to jump to it.
Choose HEIC and press Return
The HEIC files appear next to the originals with the same names. The PDF files stay as they are.

PDF and HEIC

PDFs are hard to edit and awkward to reuse in other apps. HEIC keeps photos small on Apple devices, which helps when storage is tight.

What changes when you convert

HEIC opens on Apple devices, but not everywhere else. Check before you send it to someone on Windows.
The HEIC is a picture of the page: its text can no longer be selected or searched.

PDF compared with HEIC
Property	PDF	HEIC
Full name	Portable Document Format	High Efficiency Image File Format
Made by	Adobe; an ISO standard since 2008	MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)
Introduced	1993	2015
Best for	Sharing, printing and archiving documents	Storing photos on Apple devices
Opens in	Every browser, Preview, Acrobat and every phone	Apple devices; Windows needs the HEIF and HEVC extensions; many websites don’t accept it
File extension	.pdf	.heic, .heif
In FileFlip	Opens and saves	Opens and saves

Other ways on a Mac

For one file now and then you may not need FileFlip. These work with what’s already on your Mac.

Preview

Open the PDF in Preview, choose File → Export, pick HEIC from the Format menu and click Save. Preview exports one page at a time.

Good for a few files now and then.

Terminal

The sips command converts images in place or into a new file.

sips -s format heic report.pdf \
  --out report.heic

Built into macOS. Converts the first page only.

Questions about PDF and HEIC

Can I still search the text in the HEIC?

No. The HEIC is an image of the page. Keep the PDF if you need selectable text.

Can I convert many PDF files at once?

Yes. Select them all in Finder, press ⌥ F and choose HEIC. Progress moves to the menu bar, so you can close the panel and keep working.

Where is the HEIC file saved?

Next to the original, with the same name and the .heic extension. The PDF file isn’t changed. In Settings you can choose a different folder instead.

Can I convert HEIC back to PDF?

Yes, FileFlip converts HEIC to PDF as well.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. FileFlip converts files on your Mac and works with the internet turned off.

Convert a stack of PDFs at once

FileFlip also handles images, camera raw files, video, audio, documents and data files. Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Coming soon for Mac