Camera RAW
What is a CR3 file?
Updated Jul 2026
CR3 (Canon RAW 3) is the raw image format used by newer Canon cameras. It stores the unprocessed data straight off the sensor, so you get the full detail and editing room a raw file allows, along with embedded EXIF metadata. The catch is that CR3 files are large and many photo apps and websites can't open them without converting first.
- Extension
- .cr3
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Newer Canon cameras
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Why CR3 exists
Canon introduced CR3 in 2018 with the EOS M50, replacing the older CR2 format on most of its newer mirrorless and DSLR bodies. It's built to work alongside Canon's compressed raw option, which shrinks file size somewhat while still keeping the sensor data unprocessed.
In plain terms, a CR3 file is a snapshot of exactly what the camera's sensor captured, before any of the sharpening, color correction, or compression a JPG would apply. That gives you far more room to adjust exposure, white balance, and detail after the fact, but it also means the file is much larger and needs software that understands the raw data to make sense of it.
People run into CR3 mainly when they try to share, upload, or edit a photo somewhere that doesn't recognize it. A client wants a JPG, a website only accepts common image formats, or an editing app doesn't yet support the newer Canon models, so the CR3 needs converting before it's useful outside a photo editor.
The trade-offs
Strengths
- Keeps full sensor detail for serious editing and color correction
- Lossless, so nothing is thrown away in the capture
- Carries rich EXIF metadata alongside the image data
Watch-outs
- Much larger files than JPG or HEIC
- Not viewable in most photo apps, browsers, or messaging tools without converting
- Needs raw-aware software just to preview or edit
A note on privacy
A CR3 file's EXIF metadata can include the camera's settings, timestamp, and sometimes GPS location if it was recorded. Running the file through an online converter means that image and its metadata get uploaded to someone else's server. Converting it on your own computer keeps the photo and everything attached to it on your machine.
Convert a CR3 file
- Convert CR3 to JPG
- Convert CR3 to PNG
- Convert CR3 to WebP
- Convert CR3 to AVIF
- Convert CR3 to HEIC
- Convert CR3 to HEIF
- Convert CR3 to GIF
- Convert CR3 to TIFF
Questions
How do I open a CR3 file?
You'll need photo software that supports Canon's raw format, or you can convert it to JPG or TIFF to view it in almost anything.
Is CR3 better than JPG?
For editing, yes: CR3 keeps all the sensor detail so you can adjust exposure and color with much more flexibility. For sharing and everyday viewing, JPG is far more practical since it's smaller and opens everywhere.
Why does my Canon camera save photos as CR3?
Newer Canon bodies use CR3 as the raw format by default because it replaced the older CR2 format in 2018. Most cameras also let you shoot JPG alongside it, or JPG only, if you'd rather skip converting later.
Can I convert CR3 without uploading it?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts CR3 files on your own computer, so the raw image and its metadata never leave your machine.
Is CR3 the same as CR2?
No. CR3 is Canon's newer raw format, used on cameras released from 2018 onward, and it's not a direct swap for CR2. Older Canon models and some editing tools still only work with CR2.
Morphjet opens and converts CR3 and 1,800+ other formats, all on your own computer. Launching this July.