RAW Viewer — Open Camera RAW Files with XnView

RAW files are the unprocessed sensor data produced by digital cameras, stored in manufacturer-specific formats such as Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, Fujifilm RAF, Olympus ORF, Panasonic RW2, plus the universal Adobe DNG. XnView MP reads over 50 RAW variants natively on Windows, macOS and Linux, with no external codec required. XnConvert performs bulk conversion of RAW files to JPEG, TIFF, PNG or DNG-compatible exports.

XnView RAW support at a glance

About camera RAW files

RAW files contain the unprocessed (or minimally processed) data captured directly from the camera sensor, before in-camera adjustments such as white balance, sharpening, color grading or JPEG compression are applied. Because they preserve the full sensor information, RAW files give photographers the maximum latitude for post-processing — recovering shadows, adjusting highlights and refining color without quality loss. The trade-off is larger file sizes (typically 20-80 MB per shot) and the need for a RAW developer to render the image. Each manufacturer uses its own RAW format, although the open Adobe DNG (Digital Negative) format is supported by many cameras as a portable alternative.

Common RAW file extensions

How to view and convert RAW files with XnView

Open a RAW file

Launch XnView MP, then File > Open and select the RAW file, or drag the file onto the XnView MP window. RAW thumbnails and previews load directly in the browser; the main viewer shows the rendered image with pan, zoom and fullscreen.

Convert RAW to JPEG, TIFF, PNG or WebP

In XnView MP: File > Save as, then pick the target format. For converting an entire shoot, open XnConvert, drag the RAW files in, choose the output format in the Output tab and click Convert. XnConvert processes hundreds of RAW files in one pass, with optional resize, rename and metadata steps.

Sort and rename RAW files by EXIF capture date

Sort the browser by Date taken (View > Sort by). To rename in batch using EXIF data, open Tools > Batch rename and use placeholders such as {EXIF:DateTime} or {DateTaken|Y-m-d_His}.

Frequently asked questions

Which RAW formats does XnView open?

XnView MP reads RAW files from most Canon (CR2, CR3), Nikon (NEF, NRW), Sony (ARW, SR2, SRF), Fujifilm (RAF), Olympus (ORF), Panasonic (RW2), Pentax (PEF), Leica (RWL), Sigma (X3F), Hasselblad (3FR, FFF), Minolta (MRW), Samsung (SRW) and many other cameras, plus the universal Adobe DNG format — over 50 RAW variants in total. No external codec is required.

Can XnView edit or develop RAW files like Lightroom?

No. XnView MP is a viewer and organizer, not a RAW development module. Lightroom-specific develop settings (exposure, white balance, crop, masks) are not applied. To process RAW files with full editing, use a dedicated RAW developer such as Adobe Lightroom, Capture One or darktable, then view and organize the exports in XnView MP.

Can XnView export RAW files to JPEG, TIFF or DNG?

XnView MP and XnConvert can convert RAW files to JPEG, TIFF, PNG, WebP and most writable formats. Note that XnView writes the rendered image, not the original RAW data — RAW files themselves cannot be re-saved as RAW.

Does XnView read RAW metadata (EXIF, GPS, camera settings)?

Yes. XnView MP reads the full EXIF, IPTC, XMP and maker-note metadata embedded in RAW files, including camera model, lens, ISO, aperture, shutter speed and GPS coordinates. The metadata can be displayed, used for sorting or batch renaming, and carried over to converted files.

My new camera body is not recognized — what can I do?

Make sure you are running the latest version of XnView MP, which is updated regularly to support new camera releases. If a very recent model is still unsupported, post a request on the official forum at newsgroup.xnview.com with a sample RAW file, and support is usually added in a subsequent build.

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