MRW File Format (.mrw)

An MRW file stores the unprocessed sensor data captured by a Minolta DiMAGE or Dynax/Maxxum digital camera, the raw format Minolta used until Sony bought its camera division in 2006 and switched the successor Alpha line to ARW.

.mrwImage Files

MRW at a glance#

Full name	Sony (Minolta) Raw Image File
File extension	.mrw
Category	Image Files
Developer	Minolta
First released	2001
MIME types	image/x-minolta-mrw
Compression	Uncompressed
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads this format but does not write it

What a .mrw file can hold#

These are the things a MRW file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Embedded metadata	Yes

Strengths and limitations of MRW#

What MRW does well

Carries the sensor data straight off a Minolta CCD before any in-camera white balance or sharpening was applied
Still decoded by ExifTool and dcraw-based raw processors two decades after the last camera that wrote it

Where MRW falls short

No Minolta or Konica Minolta camera has shipped since Sony absorbed the division in 2006
There is no public specification, so software support depends on tools that reverse-engineered the layout

Keep a file as MRW only if it is an original capture from a Minolta DiMAGE or Dynax/Maxxum camera you want to preserve unchanged.

Convert MRW to DNG or TIFF for long-term storage or editing, since no current camera writes the format and support for it is unlikely to improve.

How to open a .mrw file#

A .mrw file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts MRW into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

Platform	Programs that open it
Windows	RawTherapee, darktable, digiKam, ExifTool
macOS	RawTherapee, darktable, digiKam, ExifTool
Linux	RawTherapee, darktable, digiKam, ExifTool
Web	FileFlip

MRW questions people ask#

What camera shot this MRW file?

MRW files come from Minolta digital cameras, starting with the DiMAGE 7 in 2001 and continuing through later DiMAGE models and the Dynax/Maxxum 5D and 7D DSLRs. Sony's first Alpha DSLR, released in 2006 after it acquired Konica Minolta's camera business, switched to the ARW format instead.

Can I still open an old MRW file?

Yes. MRW files open in RawTherapee, darktable and digiKam, all of which use the dcraw/LibRaw decoding libraries that support the format, and ExifTool reads and writes their metadata. No Minolta software has been updated in years, so a modern raw processor is the more reliable option.

Should I convert MRW files to something else?

Converting MRW to DNG or TIFF is worth doing for long-term storage, since Minolta stopped making cameras in 2006 and fewer applications add new support for a format tied to a discontinued camera line every year.

Converting MRW files#

FileFlip does not write .mrw files, so nothing on the site converts into this format. It works as a source only.

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.