File Extension Guide📖 What is a CR2 File?
A CR2 file is a RAW photo produced by a Canon digital camera. The name stands for Canon Raw 2, the second version of Canon's RAW format, and it uses the .cr2 extension. Rather than a finished picture, a CR2 file holds the unprocessed data straight from the camera sensor, which gives a photographer far more room to adjust exposure, white balance and colour afterwards without losing quality.
This is why a CR2 behaves differently from a JPG. A JPG is processed and compressed inside the camera into a ready-to-view image. A CR2 keeps everything the sensor recorded, at 12 or 14 bits of colour per channel instead of the 8 bits in a JPG. The trade-off is size and compatibility, since CR2 files are large and need software that understands the format.
The format is based on the TIFF specification and was used by Canon cameras from 2004 to 2018, starting with the EOS 20D and covering most Canon DSLRs of that era. It replaced the older CRW format and was later succeeded by CR3. If you have CR2 files, you almost certainly shot them on a Canon DSLR.
⚡ Quick Facts
| Full name | Canon Raw 2 |
| Extension | .cr2 |
| File type | RAW camera image |
| Based on | The TIFF specification |
| Colour depth | 12 or 14 bits per channel |
| Created by | Canon |
| Used from | 2004 to 2018 |
| Replaced | The older CRW format |
| Succeeded by | CR3 |
| Typical size | Around 20 to 35 MB |
📦 What is Inside a CR2 File?
A CR2 file is more than one image. It packs the full sensor data together with smaller previews and a record of the shot. This diagram shows the main parts.
The embedded preview is the reason some viewers can show a CR2 thumbnail even when they cannot read the RAW data itself. Editing software ignores that preview and works with the full sensor data, which is where the quality and flexibility of RAW come from.
💻 How to Open a CR2 File
A CR2 needs software that understands Canon RAW. An older photo viewer may show nothing or only a thumbnail, and it may not recognise a newer camera at all. Updating the viewer, or installing a RAW codec, usually fixes it.
Just to view it
On Windows, the built-in Photos app opens CR2 files once the Raw Image Extension is installed from the Microsoft Store, and on a Mac, Preview and Photos read them natively. A dedicated RAW viewer also works and often shows the image faster. These let you look at the photo without changing it.
To edit it
To adjust the RAW data you need photo software that processes it. Canon's own Digital Photo Professional is free with the camera, and Adobe Lightroom, Camera Raw, Capture One and darktable all open CR2 files. These turn the sensor data into an image and let you fine-tune it before exporting.
🩹 CR2 File Will Not Open or Is Corrupted
When a CR2 refuses to open, there are two different problems, and they need different fixes. Knowing which one you have saves a lot of wasted effort. To view a CR2 without RAW software, Univik's File Viewer opens many formats in the browser.
The software cannot read it
If the file is fine but your app shows nothing, the software is the issue. Update your photo viewer, install the RAW codec for your system, or try a different RAW tool, since one app may read a camera another cannot. Canon's own software supports every Canon model, so it is a reliable test.
The file itself is damaged
If no software opens it, the CR2 may be corrupted, often from a card error or an interrupted transfer. A converter cannot fix this, because it can only read a healthy file. A damaged CR2 needs photo repair software, and a file deleted from a card may be brought back with data recovery software if you stop using the card at once.
To avoid losing CR2 files in the first place, copy them off the memory card promptly and keep a second backup, since RAW files are large and a single card error can take a whole shoot with it.
🔄 How to Convert a CR2 File to JPG
Most people convert a CR2 to JPG so the photo can be shared, uploaded or printed anywhere, since JPG opens on every device. The steps are the same whichever tool you use. Univik's File Converter handles this kind of conversion.
Open the CR2
Load the file into RAW software such as Digital Photo Professional, Lightroom or an online converter. The tool reads the sensor data and shows the image.
Adjust if you want
Optionally correct exposure, white balance or colour first. Doing this on the RAW data keeps more quality than editing a JPG later would.
Export as JPG
Choose Export or Save As, pick JPG and set the quality. The original CR2 stays untouched, and you get a smaller, shareable copy.
Keep the CR2 files even after converting. The JPG is an 8-bit compressed copy, so it holds far less data, and the RAW original is the version you return to for a better edit or a larger print.
⚔️ CR2 vs JPG
A camera can save the same shot as a CR2 or a JPG. The difference is how much of the sensor data survives, which decides what you can do with the photo later.
| Aspect | CR2 | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| Processing | Unprocessed sensor data | Processed and finished in camera |
| Colour depth | 12 or 14 bits per channel | 8 bits per channel |
| File size | Large, around 20 to 35 MB | Small, a few MB |
| Editing headroom | Wide, ideal for adjustment | Limited, quality drops with edits |
| Compatibility | Needs RAW-aware software | Opens on any device |
In short, a CR2 is the digital negative and a JPG is the finished print. Photographers keep the CR2 for editing and quality, and make a JPG when it is time to share.
🆚 CR2 vs CR3
Canon replaced CR2 with CR3 starting in 2018, first on the EOS M50. Both are Canon RAW, so they play the same role, but they are built differently.
CR2
The older format, based on TIFF, used by Canon DSLRs from 2004 to 2018. It has the widest software support of any Canon RAW format because so many cameras produced it.
CR3
The newer format, based on a modern container with more efficient compression, used by Canon mirrorless and recent bodies from 2018 onward. Files are smaller for similar data.
If your files are .cr2 you are on an older Canon DSLR, and if they are .cr3 you are on a newer camera. A tool that opens one does not automatically open the other, so match the software to the format you have.
🔀 Other Camera RAW Formats
CR2 is Canon's RAW format, but every major camera brand has its own. They all store unprocessed sensor data and share the same idea, only under different extensions.
.cr3 | Canon's current RAW format, used by mirrorless and recent bodies from 2018 onward. |
.crw | Canon's original RAW format, which CR2 replaced in 2004. |
.nef | Nikon's RAW format, the equivalent of CR2 on Nikon cameras. |
.arw | Sony's RAW format, used across Sony Alpha cameras. |
.dng | Adobe's open RAW format, which many tools use as a universal container that any brand's data can convert into. |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
To view one, use the Windows Photos app with the Raw Image Extension installed, or Preview and Photos on a Mac, both of which read CR2 files. To edit the photo, use RAW software such as Canon's free Digital Photo Professional, Adobe Lightroom or Capture One. If a CR2 will not open, the viewer is usually too old to recognise the camera, so updating it or installing a RAW codec fixes it.
CR2 stands for Canon Raw 2, the second version of Canon's RAW image format. The extension is .cr2, and the file holds the unprocessed data a Canon camera's sensor recorded. It is based on the TIFF specification and replaced Canon's earlier CRW format.
Open the CR2 in RAW software such as Digital Photo Professional, Lightroom or an online converter, adjust the image if you want, then choose Export or Save As and select JPG. The original CR2 is not changed, and you get a smaller JPG that opens anywhere. Editing the RAW first keeps more quality than editing a JPG afterwards.
CR2 needs software that understands Canon RAW, and support is tied to the camera model. An older viewer may not recognise a newer camera's CR2, so it shows nothing or only a low-quality preview. Installing the Raw Image Extension on Windows, updating your photo app, or using dedicated RAW software usually solves it.
Both are Canon RAW formats. CR2 is the older one, based on TIFF and used by Canon DSLRs from 2004 to 2018. CR3 is the newer one, based on a modern container with more efficient compression, used by Canon mirrorless and recent cameras from 2018 onward. CR3 files are smaller for similar data, and software that opens one does not always open the other.
Yes, if you may edit or print the photos later. A JPG is an 8-bit compressed copy that holds far less data than the CR2, so it has much less editing headroom. The CR2 is the original with the full sensor data, and it is the version to return to for a better edit or a high-quality print. Keep it as your master copy.
Yes. CR2 is one of the most widely supported RAW formats, so you do not need Canon's own tools. Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, the free darktable and RawTherapee, and the built-in photo apps on Windows and Mac all open CR2 files, as do many online converters. Canon's Digital Photo Professional is simply a free option that comes with the camera.
Most Canon DSLRs made between 2004 and 2018 shoot CR2, including the EOS 5D series, the 6D and 7D, the 70D, 80D and 90D, and the Rebel and xxxD models of that period. The format started with the EOS 20D. Canon's newer mirrorless cameras, such as the EOS R series, use CR3 instead.
A corrupted CR2 needs repair software, not a converter, because a converter can only read a healthy file. First rule out a software problem by trying Canon's Digital Photo Professional or another RAW tool. If nothing opens it, the file is likely damaged, often from a card error or interrupted transfer. Photo repair tools can sometimes rebuild it, and they work best when you also have a healthy CR2 from the same camera to use as a reference.
Yes, with the right app. Many phone gallery apps show only the embedded preview inside a CR2, not the full RAW data. A RAW-capable editor such as Lightroom or Snapseed on Android or iPhone opens the file properly and lets you adjust and export it as a JPG. Transferring the CR2 to a computer with dedicated RAW software still gives the most control.
📝 Summary
A CR2 file is a Canon Raw 2 photo, the unprocessed sensor data a Canon camera recorded, saved with the .cr2 extension. Based on the TIFF specification and used by Canon DSLRs from 2004 to 2018, it stores 12 or 14 bit colour along with an embedded preview and full shooting metadata, which gives wide editing headroom at the cost of large files and limited compatibility. To view one, use the Windows Photos app with the RAW extension or a Mac's Preview, and to edit or convert it to a shareable JPG, use RAW software such as Digital Photo Professional or Lightroom. The newer CR3 format has since replaced CR2 on recent Canon cameras.