RW2 Converter
FileFlip converts RW2 files into 62 other formats entirely inside your browser, using ImageMagick, MuPDF and Pandoc compiled to WebAssembly. The RW2 file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. There is no file-size limit and no account to create.
How do I convert an RW2 file?#
- Drop your RW2 file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer.
- Choose the format you want out of it. FileFlip downloads the engine that conversion needs, once, and your browser caches it.
- Conversion starts the moment you pick the format, and the result is yours to download. The work happens in this tab, so nothing is uploaded and nothing is queued.
Is it safe to convert RW2 files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts RW2 files inside the browser tab you already have open, using WebAssembly builds of the same engines a desktop converter would install. Your file is read from your own disk into the page's memory, and no request carrying it is ever made.
You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser's network panel, run a conversion, and you will see the engine come down and your file go nowhere. There is no upload, no server-side copy, no retention window, and no account tied to what you converted.
How FileFlip works lists every engine, its version and its download size, and shows how to check for yourself that nothing leaves your machine.
What happens to a RW2 file#
FileFlip converts RW2 into 62 formats with ImageMagick, MuPDF and Pandoc, all of it inside the browser tab. Each conversion below names the engine it uses, what it downloads, and exactly what that conversion keeps or drops.
| Category | Image Files |
|---|---|
| File extension | .rw2 |
| FileFlip support | Read only, so it is a source rather than a target |
| Conversions available | 62 |
| Engines | ImageMagick, MuPDF and Pandoc |
| Downloaded to your browser | 14.1 MB on the first conversion, then cached |
What is an RW2 file?#
An RW2 file stores unprocessed sensor data from a Panasonic Lumix camera in a TIFF-based container, the raw format Panasonic has used since it started building Micro Four Thirds cameras and still writes across the current Lumix G and S lineups.
Shoot RW2 when a Lumix camera is set to record raw and the goal is to keep full sensor data for exposure and white balance adjustments later.
Convert RW2 once editing is finished and the image needs to go somewhere that doesn't read camera raw, such as a website, a shared album, or a printer.
The RW2 file format reference covers the specification, the programs that open one, and what each conversion keeps or drops.
RW2 questions people ask#
What camera creates RW2 files?
RW2 files come from Panasonic Lumix cameras with the capture format set to RAW, including the Micro Four Thirds G and GH series and the full-frame S series. JPEG is the default on most Lumix bodies, so RAW has to be turned on in the camera menu.
Can Windows open RW2 files without extra software?
Windows only shows RW2 thumbnails and previews after the Raw Image Extension is installed from the Microsoft Store, and even then only Photos and File Explorer use it. Converting to JPG works everywhere without installing anything.
Is RW2 the same as RWL?
RW2 and RWL hold the same kind of Panasonic sensor data in the same TIFF-based structure. Leica uses the RWL extension for the rebadged versions of Panasonic-designed cameras it sells, while Panasonic's own cameras write RW2.
Does converting RW2 to JPG lose image quality?
Converting an RW2 file to JPG applies the raw processing (demosaicing, white balance, tone curve) and then compresses the result, so some of the original sensor data is discarded. The RW2 itself is unaffected by the conversion and keeps every option for reprocessing open.