How to open RAW photos without Photoshop
Open CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, RAF, ORF, RW2 and PEF files for free: what a RAW file is, how to get a JPG out of it, and which free apps can develop it.
What a RAW file is
A RAW file is what a camera saves before it turns the sensor reading into a finished picture. It holds the brightness each pixel measured, the camera settings and a small finished preview. A JPG, by contrast, has already been developed: the camera chose the white balance, sharpened it, applied its colour look and threw away the rest of the data.
Every camera maker has its own RAW format. Canon uses CR2 and, since 2018, CR3. Nikon uses NEF, Sony uses ARW, Fujifilm uses RAF, Olympus and OM System use ORF, Panasonic uses RW2 and Pentax uses PEF. DNG is Adobe's openly documented format, used by Leica, by Pentax as an option, by DJI drones and by phones such as iPhones with Apple ProRAW and Google Pixels.
Photoshop opens all of these through its Camera Raw plug-in, which is why many people assume they need it. You don't. Your operating system, free editors and the camera maker's own software can all read RAW files, and for a quick JPG you need no editor at all.
The fastest way: take the JPG the camera already made
Almost every RAW file carries a JPEG preview. The camera renders it at the moment you take the shot, with the white balance, picture style or film simulation you had set. It is the image you see on the camera's screen.
Pulling that preview out is instant and needs no RAW processing. The converters on this site do exactly that in your browser. They scan the RAW file for embedded JPEG streams, pick the one with the most pixels and save it at the quality you choose. Nothing is uploaded, so a whole card of photos can be converted on a work laptop or a borrowed computer.
The result looks like an in-camera JPEG, not a flat RAW rendering. The trade-off is that you can't change exposure or white balance first, and EXIF details such as the capture date aren't copied into the new file.
How big is the embedded preview?
Preview size depends on the camera maker, and it decides whether the quick JPG is enough. We checked sample files from several cameras.
Canon, Nikon and Pentax embed full-size previews. A Canon 5D Mark III CR2 held a 5760 × 3840 preview, the full sensor size. A Canon EOS R CR3 held 6720 × 4480, a Nikon D750 NEF held 6016 × 4016 and a Pentax K-1 PEF held 7360 × 4912.
Other makers store smaller ones. Fujifilm X-T3 and X100V RAF files held 4416 × 2944, about half the pixel count of the 26 megapixel sensor. Olympus ORF files held 3200 × 2400, a Sony A7 III ARW held only 1616 × 1080, and Panasonic RW2 files held previews 1920 pixels on the long side. Those are fine for phones and social media, but not for large prints.
DNG varies. Camera DNGs from Leica and Pentax usually carry a full-size preview. Files made with Adobe DNG Converter carry whatever preview size was chosen in its settings, sometimes none.
Viewing RAW files in Windows and macOS
On a Mac, Preview and Photos open most RAW formats, and Apple adds new cameras in system updates. Open the file in Preview, choose File, Export and pick JPEG to save a full-resolution copy developed by macOS.
On Windows 10 and 11, install the free Raw Image Extension from the Microsoft Store. After that, File Explorer shows thumbnails and the Photos app opens RAW files from most cameras.
On an iPhone or iPad, photos imported from a camera with the Files or Photos app can be viewed and edited, including RAW files from supported cameras.
Free apps that fully develop RAW files
When you need full resolution or want to adjust exposure, white balance and colour, use a RAW developer. darktable and RawTherapee are free and open source, run on Windows, macOS and Linux, and support thousands of camera models.
Each camera maker also offers free software for its own files: Canon Digital Photo Professional, Nikon NX Studio, Sony Imaging Edge Desktop, Fujifilm X RAW Studio, OM Workspace for Olympus and OM System, SILKYPIX Developer Studio SE for many Panasonic cameras and Pentax Digital Camera Utility. They reproduce the camera's own colours closely.
Many cameras can also develop RAW files themselves. Look for RAW processing, RAW conversion or RAW data edit in the playback menu. You pick the settings and the camera writes a new JPEG to the card.
A simple workflow
Copy the RAW files off the card and keep them as masters in a folder you back up. Make a quick set of JPGs from the embedded previews to share or to choose favourites. Then develop only the best shots in a RAW editor, starting from the original RAW each time.
If you shoot phone RAW, remember that Apple ProRAW and similar formats are already processed by the phone, which merges several frames. Their previews show the phone's look, and a RAW editor gives you more room to adjust it.