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File ConvertersAn AAE file is a small sidecar file that the Photos app on iPhone, iPad and Mac creates when you edit a photo or video. It stores the edits (crop, rotation, filters, light and color adjustments, Markup) as XML text and contains no image data. The picture itself stays in the JPG, HEIC or MOV file with the same name, so an AAE file cannot be opened as an image or converted to JPG.
What is an AAE file?
Apple introduced the AAE sidecar with iOS 8 in 2014, when the Photos app switched to non-destructive editing. Instead of overwriting the original picture, Photos keeps the original untouched and writes every adjustment to a separate file. Inside the Photos library this file is invisible. It only shows up when you copy pictures to a computer over USB or through File Explorer, which is why Windows users are usually the first to notice it.
| Property | AAE file |
|---|---|
| Extension | .aae |
| Developer | Apple |
| File type | XML property list (plist), plain text |
| Created by | Photos on iOS 8 and later, iPadOS, macOS |
| Contains | Edit instructions for one photo or video, no pixels |
| Typical size | A few kilobytes |
| Opens with | Any text editor (to read), Photos (applies it automatically) |
Each AAE file shares its base name with the media it belongs to. IMG_0042.HEIC and IMG_0042.AAE describe one photo: the HEIC holds the pixels, the AAE holds the changes. If you open the AAE file in Notepad or TextEdit, you see an XML document with keys such as adjustmentEditorBundleID and adjustmentData. The adjustment data itself is stored as an encoded binary block. The text tells you which app made the edit and when, but it does not describe the adjustments in a human-readable form.
Why does my iPhone create AAE files?
The iPhone creates an AAE file every time you change a picture in Photos: cropping, rotating, applying a filter, adjusting exposure or color, or drawing with Markup. Videos that you trim in Photos get an AAE sidecar too. Photos that you never edited have no AAE file. When you import the camera roll to a PC, iOS copies the original files together with their sidecars, so the folder ends up with pairs of HEIC or JPG and AAE files.
On a Mac or on another Apple device, Photos reads the AAE file and shows the edited version. Windows, Android and most desktop programs ignore the sidecar and display the unedited original. That is the usual surprise: the photo looked cropped and filtered on the phone, but the copy on the PC is the untouched shot.
How do I open an AAE file on my computer?
There is nothing visual to open. You have three practical options:
- Read the XML. Right-click the AAE file, choose Open with, and pick Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac). You see the edit metadata, not the picture.
- Export the edited picture from an Apple device. On the iPhone, open the photo, tap Share, and send it by AirDrop, Mail or Messages, or save it to Files. The exported copy already includes the edits and needs no sidecar. In Photos on a Mac, select the photo and use File > Export > Export 1 Photo. The other command, Export Unmodified Original, gives you the raw file plus the AAE file.
- Open the companion photo. Double-click the JPG or HEIC with the same name. Windows 10 and 11 need the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store to display HEIC pictures; see the HEIC file guide for details.
Can I convert an AAE file to JPG?
No. A converter needs pixels, and an AAE file has none. Any web page that promises an AAE to JPG conversion either returns the unedited companion image or fails. What you can convert is the HEIC photo that sits next to the AAE file. The free online HEIF to JPG converter turns a single HEIC or HEIF picture into JPG in the browser. For a whole camera roll, Total Image Converter converts folders of HEIC files to JPG, PNG or TIFF on Windows in one batch, offline, with a 30-day free trial.
Both routes produce the original photo without the Photos app edits. To keep the edits, export the picture from an iPhone or Mac first, as described above, and convert that export.
Should I delete AAE files?
On a Windows PC or an Android device: yes, if you do not need them. The AAE file does nothing there, and deleting it does not touch the photo. On an iPhone, iPad or Mac, do not remove sidecars from inside the Photos library folder. Photos uses them to reconstruct your edits; without the AAE file the picture reverts to its original state. If you want to discard an edit on the iPhone, open the photo, tap Edit, and choose Revert instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is it okay to delete AAE files?
Yes, on Windows or Android, where the file has no use. Deleting an AAE file never damages the photo, because the image data lives in the JPG or HEIC file. On Apple devices keep the sidecars, or the edits stored in them are lost.
Can you convert AAE to JPG?
No. An AAE file contains only edit instructions in XML, not an image. Convert the HEIC photo with the same name instead, for example with the online HEIF to JPG converter, or export the edited version from Photos on an iPhone or Mac.
How do I open an AAE file on my computer?
Open it with Notepad or TextEdit to read the XML. To see the edited photo, export it from the Photos app on an Apple device. On Windows, open the companion JPG or HEIC file; the edits are not applied.
Why is my iPhone creating AAE files?
Because the Photos app edits non-destructively. Every crop, filter or adjustment is written to a separate AAE file, and the original photo stays unchanged. The sidecars become visible when you copy pictures to a computer.
