How to View Raw Files on Windows

This wikiHow teaches you how to open and view any Camera Raw image file on a Windows computer without installing a third-party application.

Steps

  1. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 1
    1
    Open the Microsoft website in an internet browser. Type www.microsoft.com into the address bar, and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
  2. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 2
    2
    Click the Search button. This option is listed next to a magnifier icon in the upper-right corner of the page. It will open a search field, and allow you to search the website.
  3. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 3
    3
    Search Camera Codec Pack on the website. Enter your keywords into the search field on the top-right, and hit ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return on your keyboard.
  4. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 4
    4
    Click Microsoft Camera Codec Pack in the search results. This option should be the top result under the Downloads or General information heading.
  5. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 5
    5
    Click the red Download button. You'll be prompted to select a download version on the next page.
  6. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 6
    6
    Select the codec pack for your computer's operating system. Click and check the box next to the codec pack version you want to download.
    • If your computer is running the 64-bit version of Windows, you'll download the "x64" codec pack. If you're running the 32-bit version, select "x86."
  7. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 7
    7
    Click the blue Next button. This button is in the lower-right corner of the page. It will prompt you to select a download location on your computer.
  8. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 8
    8
    Click the Save button. Select a download location on your computer, and click Save in the pop-up window to download the codec pack.
  9. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 9
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    Double-click the downloaded codec pack file. This will install the latest codec pack to your computer. You can now view Raw files in Photo Viewer.
  10. Image titled View Raw Files on Windows Step 10
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    Double-click the Camera Raw file you want to view. When the codec pack is installed on your computer, Photo Viewer will allow you to view all Raw image files without third-party software.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    When I click install, it says 'This program is not intended for this version of windows '. Advice?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Make sure that the program runs on your version of Windows. Most apps need Windows 7 or later.

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About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 23,676 times.
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Co-authors: 1
Updated: May 15, 2018
Views: 23,676
Categories: Windows Files
Article SummaryX

1. Open the Microsoft website.
2. Search "Camera Codec Pack" on the top-right.
3. Click Microsoft Camera Codec Pack in the results.
4. Click Download.
5. Select your Windows version.
6. Click Next.
7. Click Save.
8. Run the downloaded codec pack file.
9. Open and view any Raw file.

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