RawConvert — your RAW archive, a tenth of the size

Three steps, no surprises.

Choose a folder

Point it at your external drive. RawConvert counts your photos and estimates the space you'll get back — read-only, nothing changes yet.

Compare, then convert

Try one photo in every format and judge the quality yourself in Preview. Then convert the whole folder with live progress and a time estimate.

You approve every deletion

Every converted photo is double-checked, then originals are set aside — not deleted. You review them in Finder and empty the folder yourself.

The safety promise.

Never deletes. Originals move to a _rawconvert_trash folder on your drive. Emptying it is a human decision, made in Finder.
Verifies first. A photo's original is only set aside after its replacement is checked — right size, readable, complete.
Interruption-proof. Unplugged the drive mid-batch? Run it again — it picks up exactly where it stopped.
Private. Everything happens on your Mac. No uploads, no accounts, no telemetry.

82 MB → 5 MB one 45-megapixel RAW, as DNG

94% smaller and still an editable RAW file

1.2 TB → ~76 GB a real working archive

Measured on real Canon CR3 files. Your numbers depend on your camera — the app converts one photo first so you can see for yourself.

Questions photographers ask.

Is it really not deleting anything?

Really. There is no code path in RawConvert that deletes a photo. Originals are moved to a clearly-named folder on the same drive, and the app tells you to review it in Finder. Deleting that folder is always your call.

macOS says it's from an "unidentified developer."

That's the standard notice for apps downloaded outside the App Store. Right-click RawConvert.command, choose Open, then click Open — once. After that it's a normal double-click.

It asked to install "Command Line Tools"?

On a brand-new Mac, RawConvert needs a small free Apple component. Click Install, give it a few minutes, and launch RawConvert again. One-time thing.

What do I need for DNG (the recommended format)?

Adobe's free DNG Converter. RawConvert's checkup screen links you to it and re-checks with one click. DNG files stay fully editable in Lightroom and friends.

Which cameras and formats?

Canon CR2 and CR3 files today, converting to DNG, HEIC, or JPEG. The built-in compare step shows you all of them side by side — including both JPEG engines — before you commit.