Why won't my software open CR3 files?

CR3 is a newer format and Canon did not document it publicly at first, so support arrived slowly. Older editors and many web tools still cannot read one.

Is CR3 different from CR2?

Yes, structurally — it is a different container with different compression. PhotoTray reads both, and a folder containing a mix converts in one pass.

Free converter

CR3JPG

CR3 to JPG Converter

CR3 is what recent Canon mirrorless bodies write, and support for it outside Canon's own software took years to arrive — plenty of tools still cannot read one. PhotoTray decodes it at full resolution locally and hands you JPGs, a whole import at a time.

Download for Windows

Windows 10/11 (x64) · Free · No account

Drop in your files — JPGs land in the folder you pick — your CR3 files are never modified.

Why convert

Why convert CR3 to JPG

Because CR3 is newer than most of the software people own. Even now, a CR3 dropped into an older editor or an upload form is likely to be refused outright. Converting to JPG makes the shoot reviewable, shareable and uploadable without touching the raw files you will actually edit.

Recent Canon mirrorless files that older software will not open.
Reviewing a shoot before committing time to editing.
Client proofs from a camera whose format they cannot read.
Uploading to a service that rejects raw files.

How it works

Convert CR3 to JPG in a few clicks

1
Drop your CR3 files in
A card, a folder, or the whole import.
2
Choose JPG and a quality
Full raw decode at the sensor's real resolution.
3
Get the JPGs back
In the folder you chose, CR3 originals untouched.

The details

CR3 to JPG, at a glance

Engine: LibRaw — full raw decode, not the embedded preview
Camera: Canon — CR3 is the format used by recent mirrorless bodies
Output: JPG at full sensor resolution
Metadata: EXIF date, camera and lens carried across
Where it runs: Your own PC — nothing is uploaded
Limits: None — no file count, no file-size cap, no watermark
Platform: Windows 10/11 (x64)

Questions