What is an ARW file?
ARW stands for Sony Alpha Raw. It was created by Sony and first released in 2006. ARW is the raw format of Sony's Alpha cameras since the A100 in 2006. It is built on TIFF, and Sony offers compressed and uncompressed versions; the older compressed kind can show faint artefacts around very high-contrast edges.
| Type | image |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy or lossless |
| Colour | raw sensor data, usually 12 or 14 bits per pixel |
| Transparency | No |
| Animation | No |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Windows Photos (with the Raw Image Extension), macOS Photos and Preview, Lightroom and Sony Imaging Edge open it |
| Common uses | Sony Alpha cameras, from the A100 DSLR to the A7 and A9 series |
| MIME type | image/x-sony-arw |
Which format should you convert ARW to?
- ARW to JPG for photos that must open everywhere and stay small.
- ARW to PNG for screenshots, logos and anything with transparency.
- ARW to PDF to print, or to attach as a document.
ARW is lossy or lossless depending on how it was saved, so check what a program needs before converting.
How to open an ARW file
An ARW file does not open in a web browser, but most photo apps read it. Here is what works on each device.
| Windows | The Photos app opens it with Microsoft's free Raw Image Extension; Sony Imaging Edge (free), Lightroom and darktable edit it. |
|---|---|
| Mac | Photos and Preview open it; Sony Imaging Edge (free), Lightroom and darktable edit it. |
| iPhone and iPad | The Files app previews it and Photos opens it once imported; Lightroom Mobile edits it. |
| Android | Few Android apps read ARW. Convert it to JPG here to view it anywhere. |
Want the technical details? See what a .arw file is, with its MIME type, file signature and a viewer.
ARW compared with other image formats
How ARW stacks up against the formats people most often convert it to or from:
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Released | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARW | Either | No | 2006 | Sony Alpha cameras, from the A100 DSLR to the A7 and A9 series |
| JPG | Lossy | No | 1992 | camera photos, web images and email attachments |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | 1996 | screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency |
| WebP | Either | Yes | 2010 | images served by websites to save bandwidth |
| HEIC | Lossy | Yes | 2017 | photos taken on iPhones and iPads since iOS 11 |
How to use the ARW converter
- Choose the format you want in the Convert to menu.
- Drop your ARW files on the box, or press Choose ARW files. Several files can go in at once.
- Adjust the settings if you need to; the defaults suit most people.
- Press Convert and save each file with its Download button. The file is converted on our server and deleted as soon as the result is sent back.
Tips for converting ARW files without losing quality
ARW can be lossy or lossless depending on how the file was saved. Either way, converting to a lossless format keeps exactly what is there, and converting to a lossy one trades a little detail for a much smaller file.
- Keep the raw file. It holds the full sensor data, with far more room for adjusting exposure and colour than any JPG or PNG made from it.
- Choose JPG to share or upload a photo, and PNG or TIFF when the picture will be edited further, since they add no compression loss.
- The conversion is a neutral development with the white balance the camera recorded. For an edited look, develop the file in Lightroom, darktable or RawTherapee instead.
- The server accepts files up to 25 MB, which fits the raw files of most cameras; very high-resolution cameras can go past it.
Convert ARW files from the command line
LibRaw and ImageMagick do the same on your own computer:
dcraw_emu -w -o 1 -q 3 -T input.arw
magick input.arw.tiff -quality 92 output.jpgConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
ARW converter FAQ
What is an ARW file?
ARW stands for Sony Alpha Raw, an image format created by Sony in 2006. ARW is the raw format of Sony's Alpha cameras since the A100 in 2006. It is built on TIFF, and Sony offers compressed and uncompressed versions; the older compressed kind can show faint artefacts around very high-contrast edges.
How do I open an ARW file?
ARW does not open in browsers; Windows Photos (with the Raw Image Extension), macOS Photos and Preview, Lightroom and Sony Imaging Edge open it. If the program you need will not open it, convert it to a more widely supported format above.
What is the most common ARW conversion?
ARW to JPG is the conversion people search for most. The ARW is developed by LibRaw, the open-source camera RAW decoder, on our conversion server: the sensor data is turned into a full-colour picture with the white balance the camera recorded, AHD demosaicing and standard sRGB colour.
Does converting ARW files here upload them?
Yes. ARW conversions need LibRaw and ImageMagick, open-source programs that cannot run in a browser, so they run on our conversion server. The file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept.
Is the ARW converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Conversions that use our server accept files up to 25 MB, with a fair-use limit per hour. The site is supported by advertising.
Can I convert ARW files on iPhone or Android?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone and iPad, or in Chrome on Android, choose your ARW files and download the results to your Downloads folder.
Can I convert several ARW files at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; they are converted one after another, each with its own download button.