Convert HEIC to AVIF on Mac.

Local file processing, by renaming the file in Finder. No converter window and no upload queue.

Finder rename

report.heicreport.avif

How the rename works

  1. 1

    Start with report.heic

    Put the HEIC file in a folder RenameTo watches, such as Desktop or Downloads.

  2. 2

    Rename it to report.avif

    In Finder, change .heic to .avif, then press Return. The rename is the command.

  3. 3

    Find the AVIF beside it

    RenameTo produces the requested output and keeps a restorable backup of the original.

What happens under the hood

RenameTo reads the HEIC with the appropriate local macOS media or document framework, then writes a new AVIF beside it. The file itself is not sent to a conversion server.

About the formats

HEIC is Apple's space-efficient camera format, which some apps still reject. AVIF is a modern image format built for efficient compression.

Questions, answered

Does my file get uploaded anywhere?

No. File processing happens on your Mac. RenameTo does use the network for license validation, trial activation, and update checks, but your source files are not part of those requests.

What happens to the original HEIC file?

RenameTo keeps a backup before processing. Undo restores the original alongside a format-changing output and does not delete that output. If the original name is already occupied, the restored copy gets “(restored)” in its name.

Can I convert a whole folder?

Yes. Rename multiple selected files in Finder and RenameTo queues each supported conversion, with a separate result and backup for every file.

Can I run the same conversion from a script?

Yes. The CLI command is: renameto avif *.heic

Related conversions

Convert HEIC to BMP

report.heic → report.bmp

Convert HEIC to GIF

report.heic → report.gif

Convert HEIC to ICNS

report.heic → report.icns

Convert HEIC to ICO

report.heic → report.ico

Convert Sony ARW to AVIF

report.arw → report.avif

Convert BMP to AVIF

report.bmp → report.avif

Convert Canon CR2 to AVIF

report.cr2 → report.avif

Convert Canon CR3 to AVIF

report.cr3 → report.avif

Looking for another format? Browse every conversion.