Short answer: Apple says a ProRAW photo is about 25 MB at 12MP and about 75 MB at 48MP, compared with roughly 2–5 MB for a HEIC photo. A few hundred ProRAW shots can fill tens of gigabytes. Turn ProRAW on only when you plan to edit, find existing RAW photos in Media Types › RAW, and convert the ones you've finished with to HEIC.
Steps
- See how many you have: Photos › Collections › Media Types › RAW (on iOS 18, scroll down to Media Types).
- Turn ProRAW off by default: in the Camera app, tap RAW so it's crossed out. To control what the Camera remembers, open Settings › Camera › Preserve Settings and set the ProRAW & Resolution Control switch.
- Check the setting itself: Settings › Camera › Formats shows ProRAW & Resolution Control (Pro models) and lets you pick the default format under Pro Default. HEIF Max gives 48MP photos at a fraction of a RAW file's size.
- Edit, then convert: once a RAW photo is edited the way you like, convert it to HEIC (edits included) and delete the RAW original.
- Empty Recently Deleted to free the space.
How big are iPhone photo formats?
| Format | Typical size |
|---|---|
| HEIC, 12MP | about 1.5–3 MB |
| HEIC, 24MP (default on recent models) | about 3–5 MB |
| HEIF Max, 48MP | about 5–10 MB |
| ProRAW, 12MP | about 25 MB |
| ProRAW, 48MP | about 75 MB |
The ProRAW figures are Apple's; real files vary with detail and lighting, and some reviewers measure 48MP files above 100 MB. Recent Pro models also offer smaller compressed ProRAW options in Settings › Camera › Formats, depending on model and iOS version.
Is ProRAW worth it?
ProRAW keeps far more data for editing: you can recover highlights and shadows, change white balance freely and apply your own noise reduction. If you edit in Lightroom, Photos or another RAW editor, it's worth it for the shots you care about. If you don't edit, the iPhone's processed HEIC looks the same or better on screen, at a fraction of the size.
ProRAW and iCloud
With iCloud Photos on, ProRAW files are stored at full size in iCloud too. 500 ProRAW photos at 48MP is roughly 37 GB, more than the 50 GB iCloud+ plan can comfortably hold alongside everything else. Converting finished RAW photos to HEIC frees space in both places.
Converting RAW to HEIC with Spaceclear
Spaceclear finds every RAW and ProRAW photo in your library and converts it to a high-quality HEIC on your iPhone, edits included, typically saving 80–90% of each file. Date, place and favorites stay. The HEIC is saved first, then you review and delete the RAW originals. The free plan includes ten conversions a day; Spaceclear Pro is unlimited. Keep the RAW files you still plan to edit.
See also HEIC vs JPEG and how much storage 4K video takes.
FAQ
Why are my iPhone RAW photos so big?
A RAW file keeps the sensor data with minimal processing and little compression, so it can be edited much further than a HEIC or JPEG. That flexibility costs space: about 25 MB at 12MP and 75 MB at 48MP.
Does converting ProRAW to HEIC lose quality?
On screen, the HEIC looks the same as the RAW photo with its edits applied. What you lose is editing headroom: you can't recover blown highlights or change white balance as freely afterwards. Convert only the photos you've finished editing.
Which iPhones can shoot ProRAW?
ProRAW is available on iPhone Pro models from the iPhone 12 Pro onwards. 48MP ProRAW needs an iPhone 14 Pro or a later Pro model, and which lenses can shoot at 48MP depends on the model. Zoom, Night mode and flash shots are saved at 12MP.
Updated 2026-11-13