What is the AFPHOTO file format?
An .afphoto file is the native document format of Affinity Photo, the raster image editor built by Serif and now owned by Canva. Instead of a flat picture, it stores an entire editable project: pixel layers, adjustment layers, live filters, masks, vector shapes and paths, text, effects, and color swatches. Everything stays separate so you can keep editing without baking changes into the image. In purpose it sits alongside Photoshop's .psd, but it is Affinity's own proprietary binary format with no published specification. All Affinity document types, including Designer and Publisher files, begin with the same four bytes 00 FF 4B 41. Because the format preserves full fidelity, it is the format Affinity recommends for work in progress. It is also the only choice when a canvas exceeds 30,000 pixels in either dimension.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn .afphoto file is a passive image document, not an executable, and does not run code when opened. The only practical concern is that the proprietary format needs Affinity or Chasys Photo to open, so a corrupted or truncated file may fail to load rather than pose a security threat.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open AFPHOTO files
Windows2 apps
Affinity Photo
Free Open Affinity Photo and choose File > Open, or double-click the .afphoto file to load the full layered document for editing.
Chasys Photo (Chasys Draw IES)
Free Install Chasys Photo and open the .afphoto file to view and rasterize it read-only when Affinity is not available. 
macOS1 app
Affinity Photo
Free Launch Affinity Photo and use File > Open to edit the .afphoto document with all layers intact.
Affinity Photo 2 for iPad
Free Open the .afphoto file in Affinity Photo for iPad to edit layers, masks, and adjustments on a tablet. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Container | Proprietary Affinity serialized object/document format |
| Compression | Internal compression of raster layer data (undocumented) |
| Typical size | A few MB to several hundred MB depending on canvas size, layer count, and embedded raster data |
| Structure | Stores a full editable composition: pixel layers, adjustment layers, live filter layers, masks, vector shapes and paths, text, effects, color swatches, and edit state. Unlike a flattened image, it keeps every element separate so editing stays non-destructive. |
| Integrity | No documented user-facing checksum |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, iPadOS |
| Notes | The internal structure is proprietary and undocumented by Serif/Canva. Third-party reading support is limited and based on reverse engineering. Files above 30,000 pixels in a dimension can only be saved in .afphoto, not exported flat formats. |
| Initial Release Full | Affinity Photo for macOS launched July 2015; Windows version followed in 2016. |
| Released | 2015 |
| Latest version | Affinity Photo 2 / unified Affinity (2025) |
AFPHOTO conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about AFPHOTO files.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open an .afphoto file?
Can I open an .afphoto file without Affinity Photo?
.afphoto files read-only. There is no full editor other than Affinity itself, so for editing you need the Affinity app, which is now free.How do I convert an .afphoto file to PSD?
Is .afphoto the same as PSD?
.afphoto is Affinity's own proprietary format and .psd is Adobe Photoshop's. Affinity can open and export PSD, but the two are separate formats.Why can't I open an .afphoto in Photoshop?
.psd from Affinity Photo first, then open that PSD in Photoshop.Is Affinity Photo still paid?
.afphoto files no longer requires a purchase.
