Can Preview open ARW files on a Mac?

Yes, as long as macOS supports your camera model. Preview renders the RAW through Apple's built-in decoder, so an ARW from a camera Apple has not added yet shows a blank or generic icon. Preview also only displays the file; it cannot edit RAW adjustments.

Why won't my Sony ARW files open in the Photos app?

Apple adds camera support through macOS updates, and new Sony bodies often wait months after release. If your camera is newer than your macOS version, Photos cannot decode its ARW files. Updating macOS, shooting RAW+JPEG in the meantime, or using an editor with its own Sony ARW support all work around it.

How do I convert ARW to JPEG on a Mac for free?

If macOS supports your camera, open the ARW in Preview and choose File > Export as JPEG. Sony's free Imaging Edge Desktop also converts ARW files from any Sony body. Both apply a default rendering, so you lose the editing latitude that made the file worth shooting in RAW.

What is the best app to edit ARW files on a Mac?

It depends on your workflow. Adobe Lightroom and Capture One are full catalog suites with subscriptions or premium pricing. RevelRaw is a native macOS editor built only for Sony Alpha ARW files: it reads the scene with AI scene detection, ranks 40+ curated presets, and exports for Instagram, print or web, with all processing on your Mac.

How to Open ARW Files on a Mac (2026 Guide)

Published July 1, 2026 · RevelRaw

You copied a card full of photos to your Mac, double-clicked one, and got a blank thumbnail or an "unsupported format" message. The file ends in .ARW. Here is what that file is, three ways to open it, and the reason some ARW files refuse to open at all.

What an ARW file is

ARW is Sony's RAW format, written by every Sony Alpha camera. Instead of a finished picture, the file holds the unprocessed data the sensor recorded: 14 bits of tone per channel, no baked-in white balance, no sharpening, no compression artifacts. That latitude is why you shoot RAW. It is also why a generic image viewer chokes on it: an ARW has to be decoded and rendered before it looks like a photograph.

Three ways to open an ARW on a Mac

1. Use what's built into macOS

macOS ships with a RAW decoder that Quick Look, Preview and the Photos app all share. If Apple supports your camera model, you can press the space bar on an ARW in Finder and see it instantly. Preview will export it to JPEG, and Photos will import and adjust it.

The catch: Apple adds cameras through macOS updates, and viewing is not editing. Preview gives you no exposure recovery, no white balance, no lens-level control. It renders one interpretation of the file and that's it.

2. Convert with Sony's free software

Sony's Imaging Edge Desktop opens ARW files from any Sony body, including models Apple has not added yet, and converts them to JPEG or TIFF. It works, it's free, and most photographers find it slow and dated. Use it as a bridge, not a home.

3. Edit in a dedicated RAW editor

A RAW editor decodes the ARW and gives you the controls the format exists for: exposure, highlights and shadows, white balance, tone curve, color. Lightroom and Capture One are the heavyweight options. If you shoot Sony and want something lighter, RevelRaw is a native macOS editor built only for Sony Alpha: drop in a .ARW, AI scene detection reads the photograph and ranks 40+ curated presets for it, and you fine-tune and export from there. Everything runs on your Mac, with no account and no cloud.

Why some ARW files won't open

If your ARW files worked last year and a new camera broke everything, you have hit the most common problem on this page.

Your camera is newer than your macOS RAW support. Apple ships camera compatibility with macOS updates. A body released last month may wait months for support, and during that window Photos, Preview and Quick Look all reject its files. Check Apple's "supported digital camera RAW formats" page for your macOS version, and install macOS updates when they arrive.
The file uses a RAW option your software doesn't handle. Recent Sony bodies offer uncompressed and lossless compressed RAW. Older software sometimes reads one and not the other. Try switching the RAW file type in your camera menu and shooting a test frame.
The file is damaged. A card pulled mid-write or a failed copy leaves a truncated file. If one specific ARW fails while its neighbors open, re-copy it from the card.

While you wait for system support, two workarounds keep you shooting: set the camera to RAW+JPEG so you always have a viewable file, or run the ARW files through Imaging Edge Desktop to produce TIFFs your other tools accept.

Viewing is not editing

Every option above will get pixels on screen. Deciding what you want from the file matters more. If you only need to cull a shoot and send a few JPEGs, Quick Look plus Preview covers it. If you shot RAW to rescue a sky or fix mixed indoor light, you need a real editor, and the sooner it sits in your workflow the less the format fights you.

Shoot Sony? RevelRaw opens your .ARW, reads the scene, and ranks 40+ curated presets for that photograph. Free to download, with one free export to try the full workflow. Get RevelRaw on the Mac App Store (requires macOS 26 or later).

FAQ

Can Preview open ARW files?

Yes, when macOS supports your camera model. Preview displays and exports the file but offers no RAW editing controls.

Why won't my ARW files open in Photos?

Your camera is probably newer than your macOS RAW support. Update macOS, check Apple's RAW compatibility list, and shoot RAW+JPEG until support lands.

How do I convert ARW to JPEG for free?

Preview (File > Export) handles supported cameras. Sony's Imaging Edge Desktop handles all of them. Both lock in a default rendering, so convert after editing, not before.

What's the best app to edit ARW on a Mac?

For a full catalog suite, Lightroom or Capture One. For a fast, Sony-only editor with curated presets and on-device processing, RevelRaw.