An AAE file stores editing changes to a photo without changing the original image

An AAE file is a small text file that Apple devices create automatically when you edit a photo in the Photos app or similar Apple software. It does not contain the photo itself — it contains only the list of edits you made: brightness adjustments, crop coordinates, filter names, rotation angles, and so on. The original photo stays untouched on your device.

The file name matches the photo name. If you edit a photo called "Vacation.jpg", your device creates a file called "Vacation.AAE" in the same folder. AAE stands for Apple Annotation Exchange, though you will almost never need to know that to use your device normally.

This design means you can undo any edit at any time by deleting the AAE file, and the original photo returns to its unedited state. It also means the photo file itself stays smaller, because the edits are stored separately rather than baked into the image.

Key Takeaways

  • AAE files are created by Apple devices when you edit photos and contain only the editing instructions, not the photo data itself.
  • The original photo remains unchanged, so you can undo all edits by deleting the AAE file without losing the image.
  • AAE files are text-based and very small, usually just a few kilobytes.
  • If you transfer photos to a non-Apple device or edit them in non-Apple software, the AAE file may not transfer or may be ignored.

Where AAE files appear on your device

On an iPhone or iPad, AAE files exist in the background and you normally never see them. They live in the Photos app's library alongside your photos. If you connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows computer and browse the files, you may see AAE files appear next to edited photos in the DCIM folder.

On a Mac, if you edit photos in the Photos app or Preview, AAE files appear in the same folder as the original image. If you use iCloud Photos, the AAE files sync across your devices so your edits are preserved everywhere.

If you use third-party photo editing software like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One, those programs create their own sidecar files instead of AAE files. Those files have different names and formats, but they serve the same purpose: storing edits separately from the original photo.

What happens when you move or share photos with AAE files

If you email a photo from an Apple device, the AAE file does not go along with it — only the original photo transfers. The recipient sees the unedited version. This is usually what you want, because the person receiving the photo probably does not need your editing instructions.

If you move photos to an external hard drive or cloud storage using a Mac, the AAE files move with them. However, if you then open those photos on a Windows computer or Android device, the AAE files will be ignored because those systems do not recognize the format. The photos themselves remain intact and viewable.

If you want to preserve your edits when sharing, you need to export the photo as a new file rather than sending the original. In the Photos app, use "Export" to save a version with all edits baked in. That exported file will look exactly as you edited it, no matter where it goes.

Whether you should delete AAE files

Deleting an AAE file removes all edits you made to that photo and restores it to its original state. If you have already exported or saved a final version of the photo, the AAE file is no longer needed and takes up a small amount of storage space. Deleting it is safe and will not affect the original photo file.

If you are moving photos to a non-Apple device and want to clean up, you can delete AAE files before transferring. They serve no purpose on Windows or Android, and removing them saves a tiny amount of space. However, the space savings are usually negligible — a typical AAE file is only a few kilobytes.

Do not delete AAE files if you think you might want to re-edit the photos later. Once deleted, you lose the record of what changes you made, and you cannot undo them. If you are uncertain, leaving them in place costs almost nothing.

AAE files and cloud storage services

If you use iCloud Photos on a Mac or iPhone, AAE files sync automatically to all your devices. Your edits appear on every device that has iCloud Photos turned on. If you turn off iCloud Photos, the AAE files remain on that device but stop syncing to others.

If you use Google Photos, OneDrive, Dropbox, or another cloud service instead of iCloud, those services usually ignore AAE files. They back up the original photo but not the Apple editing metadata. If you want your edits to sync across devices, you need to use iCloud Photos or export the edited version as a new file.

Some cloud services will back up AAE files as regular files, but they will not understand what they are or use them to display edited versions. The files just sit there taking up space. If you are using non-Apple cloud storage, exporting your final photos is a better approach than relying on AAE files.

How AAE files relate to other photo formats

AAE files are unique to Apple. Android devices do not create them. Windows does not recognize them. If you have used photo editing software on any platform, you may have seen similar sidecar files with different names: XMP files (used by Adobe and others), THM files (thumbnails), or JSON files (used by some modern apps).

All of these file types serve the same purpose: storing editing information separately from the photo itself. This approach lets you edit non-destructively, meaning the original photo is never altered. It also lets different software read the same photo and explore different edits without conflict.

If you switch from an iPhone to an Android phone, your AAE files will not transfer, and the new device will not understand them. Your photos will transfer, but your edits will not. You would need to export edited versions before switching, or re-edit the photos on the new device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I open an AAE file and see what edits I made?

AAE files are text-based and human-readable if you open them in a text editor, but they are not designed to be read by people. They contain technical codes for each edit rather than descriptions. It is easier to straightforward open the photo in the Photos app and look at the edit history, which shows each change you made in order.

Why does my Windows computer show AAE files when I connect my iPhone?

Windows recognizes AAE files as regular files because they are just text documents, but it does not know what to do with them. You can safely delete them from your Windows computer without affecting the photos. The next time you connect your iPhone, new AAE files will be created for any photos you edit.

Do AAE files take up much storage space?

No. A typical AAE file is between one and ten kilobytes, which is negligible. Even if you have thousands of edited photos, the AAE files combined would use less than a few megabytes. They are not a meaningful factor in storage decisions.

If I edit a photo in Lightroom instead of the Photos app, will it create an AAE file?

No. Lightroom creates its own sidecar files with a different format. If you edit the same photo in both Lightroom and the Photos app, you will end up with both types of sidecar files, and the edits will not sync between them. Each app maintains its own editing history.

What happens to AAE files if I back up my iPhone to a Mac?

AAE files are included in iPhone backups. If you restore from that backup, the AAE files restore with it, and your edit history is preserved. However, if you use iCloud backup instead of a local Mac backup, the edits sync through iCloud Photos rather than the backup file.