What is the XMP file format?
XMP file format is used by Adobe software products for storing metadata as a sidecar alongside camera raw photos. .xmp stores edits applied to .CR2, .NEF, .DNG, and other raw formats processed with Camera Raw, Lightroom, or Bridge. The file holds information such as file description, author, keywords, copyright, brightness, exposure, saturation, and more.
.xmp allows users to modify an imported image non-destructively. Users can add keywords and other metadata, edit the image, add ratings, tags, and location data. Modifications made by the user do not change the original image file - the .xmp sidecar is used to keep track of all changes made to the original. Should the .xmp file be lost, all modifications made to the original image would also be lost.
.xmp files are generated alongside related Camera Raw files and stored in the same folder, sharing the base name of the paired image (for example, IMG_0001.cr2 pairs with IMG_0001.xmp). Because XMP uses XML markup with an RDF (Resource Description Framework) structure, files are stored in plain text format, which enables users to open .xmp files in any text editor to view or edit the metadata.
XMP was developed by Adobe with the purpose of creating a file standard for sharing metadata across Adobe products. Beyond the sidecar use case, XMP data can also be embedded directly inside JPEG images, PDFs, and other formats, making the standalone .xmp file one option among several for carrying XMP packets.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWXMP is passive plain-text metadata - no code, nothing executes, safe to open and read. The only real-world risk is data loss, not malware: deleting a .xmp that holds your only copy of edits (Camera Raw without a Lightroom catalog) loses those edits, and separating a sidecar from its RAW (moving one but not the other) breaks the link so the photo reverts to default. Privacy note: XMP can carry GPS location, author name and edit history, so it may leak metadata you didn't intend to share.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open XMP files
Windows4 apps
Any text editor (Notepad, Notepad++)
Open-source Open the .xmp to read the raw XML metadata. Useful to inspect, not to apply edits.
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Paid Keep the .xmp next to its RAW; Lightroom reads it automatically when you import/load the photo (Metadata > Read Metadata from File).
Adobe Bridge / Camera Raw
Paid Browse the RAW in Bridge; Camera Raw applies the adjacent .xmp edits. The .xmp is the sidecar, not opened on its own.
ExifTool
Open-source Run 'exiftool file.xmp' to dump/edit the metadata from the command line; the standard tool for reading XMP. 
macOS2 apps
Adobe Lightroom Classic / Bridge
Paid Keep the .xmp beside its RAW; Lightroom/Bridge read it automatically. TextEdit can read the XML if you want to inspect it. Technical details
deep spec| Underlying structure | XML with RDF (Resource Description Framework) vocabulary; metadata values written as rdf:Description attributes inside an rdf:RDF block |
| MIME type | application/rdf+xml |
| Text encoding | UTF-8; the file is pure plain text with no binary content |
| File signature | Standalone .xmp files begin with the XML processing instruction <?xpacket begin=...?> or an <x:xmpmeta xmlns:x="adobe:ns:meta/"> root element; no binary magic number exists |
| ISO standard | Standardized as ISO 16684-1:2012 (XMP Part 1 - Data Model, Serialization, and Core Properties) |
| XML namespaces used | Dublin Core (dc:), XMP Basic (xmp:), EXIF schema (exif:), IPTC Core (Iptc4xmpCore:), Photoshop (photoshop:), Camera Raw settings (crs:) |
| Embedded form | XMP packets can be embedded inside JPEG, TIFF, PDF, PSD, PNG, and INDD files; no separate sidecar file is needed in those cases |
| Metadata domains | Supports Dublin Core descriptive metadata, EXIF technical data, IPTC/IIM editorial fields, GPS coordinates, Camera Raw develop settings, and custom third-party schemas |
| Non-destructive editing | Exposure, white balance, crop, and tone adjustments are stored in the sidecar only; the paired raw file is never modified |
| Sidecar naming convention | Shares the base filename of its paired image and must reside in the same folder (e.g., IMG_0001.cr2 pairs with IMG_0001.xmp) |
| Lightroom Classic behavior | Lightroom Classic stores develop settings in its .lrcat catalog by default; .xmp sidecars are written only on explicit Save Metadata to File or when editing DNG files |
| Human readability | Fully human-readable and editable; any plain-text editor or XML editor can open, inspect, and modify the properties directly |
| Custom extensibility | Third-party applications can register proprietary XML namespaces within the same .xmp file alongside standard schemas |
| Packet wrapper | When embedded in binary host files, XMP data is enclosed between <?xpacket begin=...?> and <?xpacket end=r?> processing instructions to allow reliable extraction |
| Released | 2001 (Adobe XMP); standardized as ISO 16684-1 in 2012 |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.adobe.com |
XMP conversions
Community Q&A
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