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Can download .heic pictures from my icloud photos to my mac computer

Dear Community,


When downloading pictures from my icloud photos library to my mac (OS X. El Capitan version 10.11.6) by selecting and dropping it on my desk, which has worked before, I now get the following error message: "Export complete with errors. 0 (of 1) files have been exported to: Desktop. The export operation failed to create a file for the photo identified below ... IMG....HEIC"

It looks like it can't download .heic files, while it can still download .png and .jpeg

That is I can still download my first taken .heic files from 01.02.2021 to 06.02.2021 - but then have to convert them, but starting with the pictures taken from 15.02.2021 I get the error message above.

How to fix this problem, please. I have to finish a work and do need to download the pictures.


All the devices and programmes and cloud I use is within the apple cosmos.


Thanks for your help! Thomas

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Aug 12, 2021 6:12 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 12, 2021 7:49 AM

You said you needed HEIC files out of your mac. What are you converting to. If you are converting to jpg, then do file>export instead of export unmodified original. That will create a jpg directly. Or you can choose png or tif formats.


Drag drop is not good, because you are not exporting a full quality full resolution file. You are only exporting the preview version.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 12, 2021 7:49 AM in response to culture-tour.tv

You said you needed HEIC files out of your mac. What are you converting to. If you are converting to jpg, then do file>export instead of export unmodified original. That will create a jpg directly. Or you can choose png or tif formats.


Drag drop is not good, because you are not exporting a full quality full resolution file. You are only exporting the preview version.

Aug 12, 2021 7:36 AM in response to TonyCollinet

Hi Tony,


thanks for the quick reply. It works in the sense that I can get to the picture this way, but it is not practical as I have to do all the following steps

  1. Highlight picture
  2. Go to file>export>export unmodified and execute
  3. Click the "execute" button in the dialog box that appears then.
  4. Select a folder and click the "export original" button
  5. Go to the destination folder. There I find 2 files for each photo: 1x .heic und 1x .mov (?). The .mov file when clicked can't convert and the .heic file when clicked open the iMazing Converter.
  6. Highlighting each .heic file (bulk highlighting not possible because the .mov version always in between)
  7. Moving the highlighted .heic files to the converter
  8. Click the "convert" button.
  9. Select a folder and click the "choose" button
  10. Wait until the pictures are converted
  11. Go to folder and single highlight again the .heic files and .mov files and click the cmd + delete key.


11 steps just to get one picture from my icloud to my Mac (both Apple products and within the same system). About 1 minute for each picture, a workflow nightmare! How can I improve that workflow or fix that bug?


Thanks again! Best. Thomas


Can download .heic pictures from my icloud photos to my mac computer

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