CRW · Canon RAW (original)
Convert CRW to HEIC
CRW is Canon’s original RAW format, from the early days of digital SLRs. The files are smaller than today’s RAW, but a deep archive of them still adds up — and they are the kind of photos worth keeping. RawToHEIC converts your CRW files to HEIC inside Apple Photos, keeping every edit, album, favorite, and location intact.
What is a CRW file?
A CRW file is the earliest Canon RAW format, used on Canon’s first consumer DSLRs and high-end PowerShot cameras in the early 2000s. It is based on Canon’s old CIFF container and was succeeded by CR2 and then CR3. CRW files are modest by modern standards — around 8 to 12 MB — but they are often irreplaceable older shots, and converting the ones you have finished with to HEIC reclaims space while keeping them in your library exactly as they are.
Convert CRW right inside Photos
No exporting to Files, no importing back, nothing uploaded. Select your CRW photos in Apple Photos, tap Share, and let RawToHEIC convert them on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Everything about the photo is kept
- Edits, crops, and adjustments carry over exactly as they look in Photos.
- Album membership, favorites, captions, and keywords stay put.
- Location and full camera metadata (EXIF) travel with the HEIC.
- HDR is preserved with an ISO 21496-1 gain map.
- Your originals are never deleted until the HEIC is saved and verified.
Cameras that shoot CRW
CRW came from Canon’s earliest DSLRs and high-end PowerShots, before the EOS 20D and 350D moved Canon to CR2 in 2004. If your archive includes any of these, RawToHEIC converts their files:
CRW questions, answered
What is a CRW file?
A CRW is Canon’s original RAW format from the early 2000s, used before CR2. It stores unprocessed sensor data in Canon’s old CIFF container.
How do I open a CRW file?
Apple Photos and Preview open CRW on a recent Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and RawToHEIC reads them from Photos so you can convert them in place.
Can I convert old CRW files to a modern format?
Yes. RawToHEIC converts CRW to HEIC — a current, efficient format your devices handle everywhere — while keeping the photo’s edits, album, and metadata.
Does converting a CRW lose quality?
HEIC is lossy, so it is a trade of a small visual difference for a large size reduction. Keep the original for anything irreplaceable; convert the rest.
Will it delete my original CRW files?
Only if you choose to, per batch, and never until the HEIC is saved and verified. Deleted originals stay in Recently Deleted for 30 days.
Get your storage back.
Convert your CRW files to HEIC on-device, keep every edit and album, and reclaim the space — one purchase for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Not sure yet? Convert a few sample photos free — no install, nothing uploaded.
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