AAE files are sidecar files that store editing information for your photos
An AAE file is a small text file your iPhone creates whenever you edit a photo in the Photos app or other built-in Apple apps. It does not contain the photo itself — it contains only the instructions for how that photo has been edited: brightness changes, crop information, filter adjustments, and other modifications you made.
The name stands for Apple Annotation Envelope. Every time you edit a photo, your iPhone saves those edits as an AAE file with the same name as the photo. For example, if you edit a photo called "IMG_1234.JPG", your iPhone creates a file called "IMG_1234.AAE" in the same folder. The original photo stays unchanged, and the AAE file tells other Apple devices and apps how to display it with your edits applied.
This design means you can always undo your edits by deleting the AAE file, and the photo reverts to its original state. It also means your edits sync across your Apple devices — when you edit a photo on your iPhone, the AAE file syncs to your Mac or iPad through iCloud, so you see the same edited version everywhere.
Key Takeaways
- AAE files store only editing information, not the photo itself, so they are much smaller than image files and do not duplicate your photos.
- Deleting an AAE file removes all edits from that photo and returns it to its original state without deleting the photo.
- AAE files sync across your Apple devices through iCloud, so edits you make on your iPhone appear on your Mac or iPad automatically.
- You can safely delete AAE files if you want to free up space, but you will lose the ability to undo your edits on that device.
When AAE files appear on your iPhone
Your iPhone creates an AAE file the moment you make any edit to a photo. This includes obvious changes like rotating, cropping, or adjusting brightness, but also smaller ones like explore a filter or changing saturation. Even if you tap Edit and then cancel without saving, no AAE file is created — the file only appears when you actually explore a change.
AAE files appear in your Photos app library, but you will not see them in the normal photo view. They live in the same folder as your photos on your device's storage. If you connect your iPhone to a computer and browse the files directly, or if you use a file manager app on your iPhone, you will see them listed alongside your JPG and HEIC image files.
Not every photo has an AAE file. Only edited photos do. A photo you took and never modified has no AAE file, because there are no edits to store. This is why you might see AAE files for some photos but not others in your library.
How to find and delete AAE files on your iPhone
Finding AAE files directly on your iPhone is difficult because the Photos app hides them. The easiest way is to use a file manager app like Files, which comes built into iOS. Open Files, tap Browse, then navigate to On My iPhone and look for a folder called DCIM or similar. AAE files will be listed there alongside your photos, usually with names like "IMG_1234.AAE".
To delete an AAE file, tap and hold it in the Files app, then tap Delete. This removes the edits from that photo on your iPhone only — the photo itself stays, but it reverts to its original unedited state. The next time you edit that photo, your iPhone creates a new AAE file with your new edits.
If you want to delete AAE files in bulk, you can connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows computer using a USB cable. Open Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows), navigate to your iPhone's DCIM folder, and delete the AAE files you do not want. This is faster than deleting them one at a time on your phone.
Why you might want to keep or remove AAE files
Keep AAE files if you think you might want to undo your edits later. As long as the AAE file exists, you can open the photo in the Photos app, tap Edit, and tap Revert to Original to remove all changes at once. Once you delete the AAE file, that option disappears — the edits are permanent on that device.
Remove AAE files if you want to free up storage space. Each AAE file is tiny — usually just a few kilobytes — so deleting them will not make much difference unless you have thousands of edited photos. However, if you are running low on storage and every bit helps, removing AAE files for photos you are certain you will not edit again is safe.
You might also delete AAE files if you are exporting photos to send to someone else. When you share a photo through email or messaging, the AAE file does not go with it — only the photo itself does. But if you are transferring files to a computer or external drive, the AAE files may copy along, and you can delete them there to keep your backup cleaner.
How AAE files sync across your Apple devices
When you edit a photo on your iPhone and have iCloud Photos turned on, the AAE file syncs to your other Apple devices automatically. This means if you crop a photo on your iPhone, that same crop appears when you open the photo on your Mac or iPad. The edits are stored in iCloud and applied to the photo on every device.
This sync works because iCloud stores both the original photo and the AAE file. When you open the photo on another device, that device reads the AAE file and applies the edits to display the photo the way you edited it. If you delete the AAE file on one device, the edits disappear on that device, but the AAE file may still exist on your other devices and in iCloud.
If you turn off iCloud Photos, AAE files no longer sync. Edits you make on your iPhone stay only on your iPhone. Other devices will see the original unedited photo. This is one reason to keep iCloud Photos on if you edit photos across multiple Apple devices — it keeps your edits consistent everywhere.
AAE files and backing up your photos
When you back up your iPhone to iCloud or to a computer, AAE files are included automatically. This means your edits are preserved in the backup. If you restore your iPhone from a backup, all your edited photos will have their AAE files restored too, and the edits will reappear.
If you back up your photos to a computer using a USB cable and Finder or File Explorer, AAE files copy along with your photos. You will see them in your backup folder on the computer. This is normal and expected — they take up almost no space, so there is no reason to remove them from a backup.
Some cloud storage services like Google Photos or Dropbox may not preserve AAE files when you upload photos. These services typically store only the photo file itself, not the editing metadata. If you want your edits to travel with your photos to other services, you should export the edited photo as a new image file rather than relying on the AAE file to carry the edits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete all my AAE files at once?
Not through the Photos app, but yes through a file manager or computer. Use the Files app on your iPhone to navigate to your photos folder, or connect your iPhone to a computer and browse the DCIM folder. You can select multiple AAE files and delete them together, which is faster than deleting them one by one.
Will deleting AAE files free up a lot of storage space?
No. AAE files are tiny — usually just a few kilobytes each. Even if you have hundreds of edited photos, the total space used by all AAE files is likely less than a megabyte. Deleting them will not noticeably improve your storage situation unless you are extremely low on space.
What happens if I delete an AAE file by accident?
The edits from that photo disappear on your iPhone, and the photo reverts to its original state. If you have iCloud Photos on, the AAE file may still exist in iCloud and on your other devices, so the edits are not completely lost. You can re-edit the photo on your iPhone if you want the same changes back.
Do AAE files appear when I export a photo to email or messaging?
No. When you share a photo through email, text, or social media, only the edited photo file itself is sent. The AAE file stays on your device and does not travel with the photo. The person receiving the photo sees the edited version, but they do not receive the AAE file.
Why does my iPhone create AAE files if I never edit my photos?
Your iPhone only creates AAE files when you actually edit a photo. If you have AAE files for photos you do not remember editing, you may have accidentally applied a filter or adjustment without realizing it, or another app on your device created the edits. You can safely delete AAE files for any photo you want to return to its original state.