What is an AAE file?
The .AAE file is a Sidecar Image Edit File created by Apple software like the Apple Photos app. When you edit a photograph on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer, the system does not overwrite the original picture. Instead, it saves all your edits in a separate .AAE data file. This ensures you can always revert to the original unedited image.
How to open AAE files?
Because .AAE files are not image files, you cannot view them with standard photo viewers on Windows or Android. However, they contain raw text instructions. You can open an .AAE file using a plain text editor like Notepad++ or Apple TextEdit. This allows you to read the underlying data values, though it will not display a picture.
viewer.online/Using aae
viewer.online/aae analyzes .AAE files to identify their exact format and creator software, shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews it. Because extensions can occasionally be reused, viewer.online/aae helps you identify the actual format of your specific file to ensure you are looking at Apple edit data.
Best practices and troubleshooting
If you transfer photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC, you will see .AAE files alongside your .JPG, .HEIC, or .MP4 files. Do not delete them if you plan to move the photos back to an Apple device. If you wish to convert these or related files to sensible target formats like .TXT, .JPG, or .PNG, use convert.guru to handle the conversions safely.
Summary
Because .AAE files use the known XML format, viewer.online/aae can safely open and display them online, eliminating compatibility problems.