OneDrive for iOS now uploads photos in HEIF instead of JPEG
HEIC images won't lose quality when uploaded to OneDrive anymore.
What you need to know
- OneDrive for iOS now uploads images from iOS devices in the HEIC format.
- This change preserves image quality and keeps file sizes down.
- HEIC is the default image format for Apple devices.
OneDrive for iOS has a new update that helps keep file sizes down and maintains image quality (via MSPU). The update brings OneDrive for iOS to version 11.8.7. It allows the app to upload images in the HEIC format.
HEIC is the default file format for Apple devices. OneDrive uploading images in this format preserves their original quality and also keeps file sizes smaller. Before this update, images uploaded from iOS devices were uploaded as JPEGs.
The OneDrive App Store listing fully outlines the changes.
High Efficiency Image photos (Apple's default image format) will now be uploaded in their original .heic format. This will preserve original image quality and keep files sizes nice and light - saving users space in OneDrive. This update will affect users on iOS 11 or above using an iPhone 7 or newer.
To use this new feature, you need to use a device that's running iOS 11 or later, and that is an iPhone 7 or newer.
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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.
He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.
Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.
