Your Files & Sync
iPhone photos (HEIC) are converted automatically
iPhones save photos in the space-saving HEIC format, which many browsers can’t display. visualOS handles that for you: any HEIC you bring in is converted to a universal JPG at import — no manual conversion, ever.
More in Your Files & Sync
What happens on import
- Bring the photo in — any way you like
Drop a
.heiconto the canvas, paste it, pick it with the Image tool, or copy it into a board’s folder on disk (e.g. via iTunes/Finder file sharing or the Files app) so it shows up in the New Items pool. - visualOS converts it to JPG
A short “Converting HEIC photo to JPG…” toast appears and the photo lands on your canvas as a full-resolution JPG. That JPG is what’s stored in the board’s folder and synced — so it displays on every device, in every browser.
- The original is kept, not deleted
If the HEIC came in through the folder (New Items pool), the untouched original file is moved to a hidden
.originals/folder at the top level of your connected folder — never deleted. If you ever moved (rather than copied) your only copy in, you can always get it back from there.
Where to find the originals
Hidden folders (names starting with a dot) may need “show hidden files” in Finder (Cmd+Shift+.) or Explorer to be visible. visualOS itself ignores this folder completely — it exists purely as your safety copy, and you can empty it whenever you like to reclaim space.
Why convert at all?
HEIC is an Apple-centric format: Safari and the iPhone/iPad app display it natively, but Chrome, Edge and Brave — the recommended desktop browsers — cannot. Converting once at import means your boards look the same everywhere, exports work, and the files in your folder stay useful in any tool. On Apple devices the system decoder does the conversion instantly; elsewhere a small built-in decoder takes over, fully offline.
Connect your iPhone, open iTunes/Finder file sharing (or the Files app), and drop photos directly into a board’s folder. They appear in the New Items pool, ready to drag onto the canvas — converted on the way, originals safely kept.