How large is each slide HEIC?

Apple Keynote is the presentation application in the iWork suite, available on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and via iCloud.com. The .key file (sometimes .keynote in older versions) is a ZIP archive containing slide XML, embedded media, theme references, and preview thumbnails. Converting Keynote to HEIC rasterizes each slide into a separate HEIC image at the presentation's set canvas dimensions - typically 1920x1080 for modern 16:9 decks, 1024x768 for legacy 4:3, or custom for portrait posters - at roughly half the file size JPG would need for the same visual quality.

Presenters convert Keynote to HEIC to keep whole decks as compact slide images inside the Apple ecosystem - archiving pitch decks to Photos and iCloud, AirDropping slides to an iPad for a rehearsal, or storing hundreds of reference decks without the storage cost of JPG or PNG exports. Animations, builds, transitions, and presenter notes don't survive (the output is static), but visual layout, custom fonts, embedded images, and shape effects render exactly as they appear on the Keynote canvas - with HEIC's 10-bit color preserving Keynote's signature background gradients without banding.

Keynote's strength is typography and image-rich design - decks built from Apple's stock themes (Black, White, Gradient, Modern Portfolio) export especially cleanly. Video and audio embedded in slides export as a still frame (the first frame of the video). Heads-up for distribution: LinkedIn, most CMSes, and many upload forms reject HEIC, so for public posting convert the slides onward via HEIC to JPG. For decks that depend on animation or speaker notes, export to PDF with notes pages and use PDF to HEIC, or share the original .key with a recipient who has Keynote / iCloud.com access.

Reasons to convert KEY to HEIC usually come down to compatibility, file-size, or specific feature requirements. Common situations:

• An app or platform only accepts HEIC uploads.
• You need a feature unique to HEIC (e.g. transparency, vector scaling, animation, multi-page pages, etc.) that KEY doesn't provide.
• You're optimising file size — modern formats often produce smaller files than the older format you started with.
• You need a single archival format across a project so files behave consistently in the same viewer.

1. Open the KEY → HEIC tool on heic.now.
2. Drag your KEY file onto the drop zone, or click Select files. You can drop a whole folder of files at once.
3. The output is fixed to HEIC. If the format supports extra options (page size, transparency background, quality, EXIF stripping), tweak them in the right-hand panel.
4. Click Convert. The job runs on our server and finishes in a few seconds for typical photos.
5. Download the result. Files stay in storage for 24 hours and are then permanently deleted.

The entire flow is free for the first 10 jobs per day with no signup required. A free account doubles that quota; a premium plan removes the limit entirely.

• Keynote's File > Export To > Images offers JPEG, PNG, and TIFF only - this converter adds the HEIC output Apple's own exporter doesn't provide.
• For social carousels (1080x1080 or 1080x1350), set the Keynote canvas to those dimensions via Document Inspector > Slide Size > Custom before designing - then convert the finished output to JPG for upload, since most platforms reject HEIC.
• Animations and builds collapse to their final state in the output - if you have a build-in that reveals text, the image shows it fully revealed.
• Use the same theme across all slides for visually consistent exports - mixing themes mid-deck causes inconsistent fonts and color palettes.
• HEIC slide images AirDrop to iPhone and iPad losslessly and display instantly in Photos - ideal for reviewing a deck on the go.