RAW File Format (.raw)

A .raw file is a generic label for unprocessed camera sensor data or a headerless array of pixel values, and the extension alone does not identify which of several unrelated internal formats a given file actually uses, including early Panasonic digital cameras' TIFF-based sensor dumps and the Kyocera Contax N Digital's own raw format.

.rawImage Files

RAW at a glance#

Full name	Raw
File extension	.raw
Category	Image Files
MIME types	image/x-panasonic-rwimage/x-panasonic-raw
Compression	Varies from file to file
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads this format but does not write it

Strengths and limitations of RAW#

What RAW does well

Any tool that can decode raw pixel arrays can open one, provided it is told the exact width, height, bit depth and channel order
Carries unprocessed sensor or pixel data with no lossy recompression applied on top

Where RAW falls short

The extension carries no information about which camera or program wrote the file, unlike a named format such as CR2 or NEF that maps to one vendor
Headerless raw pixel dumps embed no metadata, so opening one usually means knowing the dimensions and bit depth in advance rather than reading them from the file
Two files both named with a .raw extension can have entirely different internal layouts and be mutually unreadable by the same software

A .raw extension shows up because a specific camera or tool produced it, such as an early Panasonic digital camera or the Kyocera Contax N Digital, not because someone chose it over a named raw format.

Convert a .raw file to a mainstream format such as TIFF or DNG once its source is known and it has been processed, since the ambiguous extension keeps it unreadable by most software without extra information.

How to open a .raw file#

A .raw file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts RAW 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	Adobe Photoshop (raw importer), IrfanView, RawTherapee
macOS	Adobe Photoshop (raw importer), RawTherapee, GIMP
Linux	GIMP (raw image data import), RawTherapee, darktable
Web	FileFlip

RAW questions people ask#

Is a RAW file the same as CR2, NEF, or ARW?

No. CR2, NEF and ARW are each one manufacturer's own raw format tied to that manufacturer's cameras, while a bare .raw extension has been reused by several unrelated sources, including early Panasonic cameras and the Kyocera Contax N Digital, so it does not identify a single format the way those extensions do.

What software opens a RAW file?

It depends entirely on what produced it. A .raw file from a camera with a known raw format opens in that camera's raw-capable software, while a headerless raw pixel dump needs a tool such as Photoshop's raw importer or GIMP's raw image data loader, which asks for the exact dimensions and bit depth before it can display anything.

Why won't a normal photo viewer open my RAW file?

A .raw file usually holds unprocessed sensor or pixel data rather than a standard encoded image, and without embedded metadata identifying its dimensions, bit depth and color layout, a generic image viewer has nothing to go on and fails to render it.

Converting RAW files#

FileFlip does not write .raw 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.