How to convert CR2 to JPG online
- 1
Drop your CR2 file
Drag your Canon RAW Version 2 file onto the box above, or click it to pick a file.
- 2
Wait a few seconds
Conversion starts on its own and runs on your device, not on a server.
- 3
Download your JPG
Click Download to save the Joint Photographic Experts Group file.
CR2 vs JPG: format overview
Canon RAW Version 2
Canon · 2004
- Compression
- lossless
- Color depth
- 14-bit
- Transparency
- No
- ✓ Full sensor data — maximum editing latitude for Canon DSLR photography
- ✓ 14-bit colour depth with complete highlight and shadow detail
- ✗ Proprietary Canon format — requires Canon software or a dedicated RAW editor to open
Joint Photographic Experts Group
Joint Photographic Experts Group · 1992
- Compression
- lossy
- Color depth
- 8-bit
- Transparency
- No
- ✓ Universal compatibility — supported everywhere
- ✓ Excellent compression for photos
CR2 magic bytes: 49 49 2A 00 (TIFF-based, Canon CR2 header)
JPG magic bytes: FF D8 FF
Why convert CR2 to JPG?
CR2 is Canon's proprietary RAW format, used by Canon DSLR cameras from the Canon 20D (2004) through the Canon 90D and EOS R (before the switch to CR3 in 2018). If you own or previously owned a Canon Rebel T-series, EOS 7D, 5D Mark I through IV, 6D, or similar cameras from that era, your photos are stored as CR2 files.
CR2 files contain the full, unprocessed sensor data from your Canon camera — the same raw photon data the sensor recorded before any in-camera processing. This gives photographers the maximum ability to adjust exposure, recover highlights, correct white balance, and grade colours non-destructively in Canon Digital Photo Professional, Adobe Lightroom, Capture One, or darktable.
The compatibility problem: CR2 files don't open anywhere outside a dedicated RAW editor. Windows Photos shows a blank thumbnail and "file not supported." macOS Preview requires Apple's Camera Raw support update to be installed, and even then support for newer Canon models may be missing. You can't upload CR2 to social media. Email clients show CR2 as an unrecognised attachment. Print services — from local pharmacies to professional labs — reject CR2 and require JPEG.
Converting CR2 to JPG gives you a universal JPEG. Browsers can't read RAW files, but most CR2 files carry a full-size JPEG of the shot — the camera's own rendering — and the converter uses that (a Canon 6D file gave its full 5472×3648 in about 4 seconds). If a CR2 has no full-size JPEG, the converter develops the sensor data itself. The output JPG opens on every device, prints at any lab, and uploads to every platform.
Note: this works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari. Most CR2 files are 20–30 MB, above the free 10 MB limit, so they need Pro (up to 500 MB).
Common reasons to convert CR2 to JPG:
- ›Share Canon DSLR photos with people who don't have RAW editing software
- ›Print photos at a lab, pharmacy, or photo kiosk that requires JPEG
- ›Upload to Instagram, Facebook, or any platform that rejects RAW files
- ›Use Canon photos in a presentation, document, or website
Quality & file size: CR2 to JPG
Typical sizes: CR2 20–30 MB (20MP Canon DSLR); JPG 2–5 MB (12MP photo).
On the free tier, JPG output has a repeating formatdrop.com watermark; Pro output doesn't.
JPG output is encoded at quality 85 — a small file with no visible difference for most photos.
Frequently asked questions
Which Canon cameras produce CR2 files?
Does this converter work in all browsers?
Does converting CR2 to JPG lose quality?
Your CR2 file never leaves this tab — FormatDrop has no endpoint that receives file data. How it works