Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your AAE file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert AAE to another file type
To convert AAE edit files to another format, you need Apple Photos or other Data software.
Convert a file to AAE
To convert other file formats to the "Apple Photo Edit Data" file type, you need software like Apple Photos or a similar tool.
About AAE files
An .AAE file is an XML-based sidecar file created by Apple Photos on iOS and macOS. It stores non-destructive edits made to images (such as cropping, filters, and exposure adjustments) without altering the original JPG or HEIC files. The biggest disadvantage of the .AAE format is its strict dependence on the Apple ecosystem. When you transfer photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC or Android device via USB, the edits are not applied. Windows cannot natively read or process .AAE data, leaving you with the unedited original photo and a confusing 1KB file that is completely useless outside of Apple devices. This causes significant frustration for users trying to back up or share their edited photography. Because an .AAE file contains only text data and no image pixels, you cannot directly convert it to an image format like JPG. However, to view the raw edit instructions, you can convert it to XML or TXT. Drop your file here to analyze and view its contents securely right in your browser. If your goal is to merge the edits into a viewable image, you must export the photo directly from your Apple device.
Convert.Guru analyzes your AAE file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert AAE file to JPG, MP4, MOV, PNG, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI or CFG, you can use Apple Photos or similar software from the "Photo Edit Sidecar File" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to AAE, try Apple Photos or another comparable tool in the "Photo Edit Sidecar File" category.
The AAE Converter Story
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our AAE converter.