How to convert many HEIC photos at once: batches and ZIP

A ZIP is a package, not a new image format

A ZIP can contain HEIC photos, videos, folders and other files. Google Takeout can export your photo library as an archive; it can also include separate JSON metadata files. Converting the photos does not convert those JSON files or turn a whole archive into one picture. Keep the original export if you need its metadata.

A workflow that works with extracted files

1. Download your archive and extract it into a folder on your computer.
2. Select the HEIC or HEIF photos you want to convert. Leave videos and JSON files out of the selection.
3. Open the HEIC to PNG tool below and select several images together. Start with a small test batch.
4. Convert and inspect one PNG. If it looks right, download each result or choose Download all as ZIP.
5. For a large library, repeat in smaller groups. Download each group before clearing the list.

Or drop the ZIP directly

You can also select or drop a ZIP in the HEIC to PNG tool. TotImage finds supported images inside folders and queues them for conversion. It skips other file types and nested ZIPs. Convert the queue, then download the successful results as one PNG ZIP. Encrypted archives and ZIP64 are not supported. The current reader queues up to 5,000 supported entries per archive and rejects individual extracted files above 256 MiB; smaller batches are still safer.

Why split a large export?

The compressed size of a ZIP is not the amount of memory conversion needs. Images must be decoded, and the browser also holds output files for download. A handful of high-resolution photos can need much more memory than their file sizes suggest. Close other heavy tabs, keep the conversion tab open and use smaller batches on phones or older computers. There is no batch size that is safe on every device.

If one photo fails

Do not discard the whole export. Download the successful results, then retry the failed file by itself. Check that it is a real HEIC rather than a video or a renamed file. Download a fresh copy if it appears damaged. Some HEIF variants are not supported. Keep the originals so a failed conversion does not become a lost photo.

Before deleting anything

Check a few output images, not just the ZIP filename. PNG copies may be much larger than HEIC. TotImage converts the first image or frame to a static result and does not retain metadata, HDR or animation. Use the PNGs for the app that needs them and keep the export as your archive.

Questions, answered

Sources

• Google: download your data

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