Raw SmithBlog
Will my camera's RAW files open on iPhone, iPad and Mac?
Your camera's RAW files open on iPhone, iPad and Mac if Apple's system RAW decoder supports that camera, and the compression mode you shot in. Check Apple's published list, or our searchable copy. If your camera is too new to be listed, Apple usually adds it in a software update; until then you can convert the files to DNG.
How does RAW support work on Apple devices?
On Windows and Linux, RAW editors usually bring their own decoder. On Apple devices most apps use the one built into the operating system: Photos, Preview, many third-party editors, and Raw Smith. That has two consequences:
- Support is shared. If a camera works in Photos on your Mac, it works in every editor that uses Apple's decoder, and the other way round.
- Support arrives with OS updates. When Apple adds a camera, every app that uses the decoder gets it at once, with no app update needed.
Apple publishes the list for each OS version. The current one is Digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 and visionOS 26. It covers iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro together, so devices on the same OS version support the same cameras. Apple also gives every OS basic support for DNG files from cameras that aren't on the list.
How do you check your camera?
- Find your camera on our supported cameras page, which you can search by maker or model, or on Apple's list.
- Read the note next to it, if there is one. This is the step people miss (see below).
- Make sure your device is up to date. A camera that's listed for the current OS won't open on an older one.
Why the notes matter
Apple supports some cameras only in some modes. The notes on Apple's list include things like:
- Lossless compressed only. If you shoot that camera's lossy or "high efficiency" compressed RAW, the files may not open even though the camera is listed.
- Excluding high-resolution modes. For some Olympus/OM System bodies, RAWs from High Res Shot aren't supported.
- Single-shot only. For some Phase One backs, only single-shot RAW is supported.
If a listed camera's files won't open, check its RAW compression setting first. Switching to a supported mode, usually uncompressed or lossless compressed, fixes it for future shots.
What can you do if your camera isn't supported yet?
Wait for a software update
Apple adds cameras regularly, and new bodies often follow within a few months of launch. Once your camera is added, files that wouldn't open before will open after you update. Keep the originals.
Convert to DNG
Adobe's free DNG Converter for Mac and Windows converts RAW files from the cameras Adobe supports into DNG, which Apple's devices read. It's the usual workaround for a brand-new camera:
- Install Adobe DNG Converter on a computer and point it at a folder of RAW files.
- Convert, then import the DNG files into your editor, from Files on iPhone and iPad or from Finder on a Mac.
- Keep the original RAWs. When Apple adds your camera, you can re-import the originals.
A converted DNG holds the same sensor data, but it won't always render exactly like the camera-specific support Apple adds later, so for your best shots it's worth re-importing the originals then.
Change how you shoot
If the issue is a compression mode, switch the camera to a supported one. Some cameras can also save DNG themselves, which Apple devices open.
What Raw Smith does with an unsupported file
Raw Smith uses Apple's decoder, so it opens exactly what your OS version supports. When a camera isn't supported, it says so plainly instead of failing quietly, with a message like: "This system can't decode RAW files from the [camera] yet. Apple adds cameras in software updates." That tells you to check the list and update rather than suspect the file.
When the decoder does support a camera, Raw Smith renders every edit from the RAW. In the Detail panel you set sharpening and noise reduction in the decode itself, and on cameras where Apple offers it you can turn on Enhanced, Apple's machine-learning demosaic and noise reduction. The editing guide has more.
What about the iPhone's own RAW files?
Apple ProRAW is DNG, so it opens on every Apple device that supports DNG, including iPhones newer than the list itself. Apple's list also names iPhone and iPad cameras for third-party camera apps that save plain sensor RAW. See RAW vs ProRAW vs HEIC for the difference.
Want to try your camera's files? Raw Smith is in public beta on TestFlight for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Questions
How do I know if my camera's RAW files work on iPhone?
Check Apple's list of supported digital camera RAW formats for your OS version, or search our supported cameras page. If your camera is listed, check its notes too: some models are supported only for certain compression modes.
Why does a new camera's RAW not open on my Mac or iPhone?
Apple adds new cameras to its system RAW decoder in software updates, often some weeks or months after a camera ships. Until then, apps that use Apple's decoder can't read its files.
Can I convert unsupported RAW files to DNG?
Yes. Adobe's free DNG Converter for Mac and Windows turns RAW files from the cameras it supports into DNG, which Apple's devices read. Keep the originals, and convert again once Apple adds your camera.
Do iPhone, iPad and Mac support the same cameras?
Largely, yes. Apple publishes one list covering iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS of the same version, so keeping all your devices up to date gives you the same support everywhere.
Does Raw Smith use its own RAW decoder?
No. Raw Smith uses Apple's system RAW decoder, so it opens exactly what your OS version supports, and it gains new cameras when Apple adds them in an update.