Windows does not natively support AAE files. When you open a folder of iPhone photos on Windows, you will see the original unedited image and a separate .aae file. To see the edits on Windows, you have a few choices:
If you’ve ever transferred photos from your iPhone to a PC, you’ve likely encountered a clutter of mysterious files ending in . They don’t look like images, they won’t open in your standard photo gallery, and they seem to just take up space.
Apple’s Photos app is the native AAE file viewer. If you import your photos using the Photos app or AirDrop, macOS automatically reads the AAE file and applies the edits to the displayed image. You won't even see the .aae extension because the system handles it in the background. 2. On Windows PC aae file viewer
Adobe Lightroom can read AAE sidecar files.
Sending a photo via email or WhatsApp flattens the image. This bakes the AAE edits into the JPEG, so it appears correctly on any device. Windows does not natively support AAE files
Yes. Deleting an AAE file will not delete your photo. It will simply remove the record of the edits you made on your iPhone. If you delete the AAE file and then open the corresponding image, you will see the original, unedited version of the shot. If you are satisfied with the original photo and don't need the filters or crops you applied, deleting these files is a safe way to clean up your storage folders.
If your goal is to see your edited iPhone photos on a non-Apple device, the best strategy isn't finding an AAE file viewer, but rather converting the file during the transfer process. They don’t look like images, they won’t open
If you are curious about what specific edits were made to a photo, you can open the AAE file using any text editor.
Because .aae files are just text-based instructions, "viewing" them isn't about looking at a picture, but rather seeing the edited version of your photo. 1. On macOS (High Sierra and Newer)