A .aae file is a sidecar file that Apple devices create to store photo edits without changing the original image
When you edit a photo on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac using the built-in Photos app, the device doesn't overwrite the original image file. Instead, it creates a separate .aae file (Apple Annotation) that contains only the editing instructions — crop, brightness, filter, rotation, and so on. The original photo stays untouched. When you view the photo in the Photos app, your device reads both files together and shows you the edited version.
This approach lets you undo edits at any time, share the original unedited version, or open the photo in other apps that ignore the .aae file and show you the raw image. The .aae file is invisible in the Photos app itself; you only see it if you browse your phone's file system or connect the device to a computer.
Key Takeaways
- A .aae file stores editing information for a photo, not the photo itself, so the original image remains unchanged.
- Apple creates .aae files automatically when you edit photos in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- You can safely delete a .aae file if you no longer want to preserve the edit history, though the edits will be lost.
- Third-party apps and Windows computers may not recognize .aae files, so the edits won't appear when you open the photo elsewhere.
- Exporting a photo as JPEG or PNG bakes the edits into the file and removes the need for the .aae sidecar.
When and why your device creates .aae files
Every time you use the Photos app to adjust a photo — whether you crop it, change the saturation, apply a filter, or rotate it — your iPhone, iPad, or Mac creates a .aae file in the same folder as the original image. The file is created automatically; you don't choose whether to make one.
Apple designed this system so you can edit photos non-destructively. If you change your mind about an edit weeks later, you can open the photo again and undo the changes completely. The original image data is never lost. This is different from many other photo apps, which overwrite the original file when you save edits.
Where .aae files live on your device
On an iPhone or iPad, .aae files sit in the Photos library alongside the original images. You won't see them in the Photos app itself — Apple hides them from the normal view. To see them, you need to connect your phone to a Mac or Windows computer and browse the file system, or use a file manager app on the phone.
On a Mac, .aae files appear in the Photos library package (which looks like a single file but is actually a folder). If you right-click the Photos library and select "Show Package Contents," you can navigate to the Masters or Originals folder and see the .aae files alongside the photos.
If you back up your phone to a computer using Finder (on Mac) or iTunes (on Windows), the .aae files are included in the backup. If you use iCloud Photos, the .aae files sync across your Apple devices so your edits appear on all of them.
What happens when you share or export a photo with edits
When you share a photo from the Photos app — by text, email, or social media — your device sends the edited version, not the original. The .aae file stays on your phone and doesn't travel with the photo. The person who receives it sees the cropped, filtered, or rotated version you created.
If you export a photo as a JPEG or PNG file, the edits are baked into the exported file. The new file contains the edited image, and no .aae sidecar is created. This is the safest way to preserve your edits in a format that any app or computer can open.
Why .aae files don't work in other apps
Most photo apps and operating systems don't recognize .aae files. If you copy a photo and its .aae file to a Windows computer, Windows will show you the original unedited image. The same happens if you open the photo in Adobe Lightroom, Google Photos, or most other third-party apps — they see only the original image file and ignore the .aae sidecar.
This is by design. The .aae format is proprietary to Apple, and other developers have no reason to support it. If you want your edits to be visible everywhere, export the photo as JPEG or PNG instead of relying on the .aae file.
Should you delete .aae files
You can safely delete a .aae file without harming the original photo. The image itself will remain on your device. However, deleting the .aae file means you lose the edit history — you won't be able to undo the edits or revert to the original version within the Photos app.
If you've already exported the photo as JPEG or PNG, the edits are already saved in that new file, and the .aae file is redundant. If you're running low on storage space, deleting old .aae files for photos you no longer edit can free up a small amount of room, though the files are usually quite small (a few kilobytes each).
To delete a .aae file, you need to use a file manager app or connect your phone to a computer. You cannot delete it through the Photos app itself.
How to preserve edits when moving photos to other devices
If you want to move a photo with its edits to another device or app, export it as JPEG or PNG first. This creates a new file that contains the edited image and works everywhere. Open the photo in the Photos app, tap Edit, then tap Done to confirm the edits. Next, tap the share button, select "Save Image," and choose JPEG or PNG as the format.
Alternatively, if both devices are Apple products and you use iCloud Photos, your edits sync automatically across all your devices. You don't need to do anything — the .aae files sync in the background, and your edits appear on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete .aae files without losing my photos?
Yes. The .aae file contains only editing instructions, not the photo itself. Deleting it removes the edit history but leaves the original image untouched. If you've already exported the photo as JPEG or PNG, the edits are saved in that new file and the .aae is no longer needed.
Why do I see .aae files when I connect my iPhone to my computer?
Your phone stores .aae files alongside photos in the Photos library. When you connect to a computer and browse the file system, the .aae files become visible because the computer doesn't hide them the way the Photos app does. They're normal and harmless.
Will my edits show up if I open the photo in another app?
No. Apps like Google Photos, Adobe Lightroom, and most others don't recognize .aae files. They will show you the original unedited image. To preserve edits across apps, export the photo as JPEG or PNG from the Photos app first.
Do .aae files take up a lot of storage space?
No. A .aae file is typically just a few kilobytes — much smaller than the photo itself. Deleting them won't free up significant storage unless you have thousands of edited photos. If you're short on space, deleting old photos is more effective than deleting .aae files.
What if I want to share the original unedited photo?
Open the photo in the Photos app, tap Edit, then tap "Revert" at the bottom to undo all edits. The photo returns to its original state. You can then share it, and the recipient will see the unedited version. The .aae file remains on your device in case you want to restore the edits later.