What is an XMP file? .xmp sidecars explained (open, delete, privacy)

Why the .xmp file exists

Many cameras write RAW files (.NEF, .CR3, .ARW, .RAF…) in proprietary formats. Adobe documents that for these files Lightroom Classic does not write XMP into the original “to avoid file corruption”; it stores the metadata in a separate sidecar file instead. For JPEG, TIFF, PSD and DNG it writes XMP inside the file (Adobe: Lightroom Classic metadata basics).

XMP Specification Part 3 (January 2020) says: for an external XMP file, look in the same directory for a file with the same name as the main document but with an .xmp extension. It calls that a sidecar XMP file (Adobe XMP Specification Part 3, PDF). Lightroom and Camera Raw follow that with DSC_0512.xmp beside DSC_0512.NEF. darktable keeps the original extension in the name (IMG_0001.CR3.xmp) and also reads the Lightroom name on import. The name is the only link, so renaming one file outside the photo app breaks the pair.

Which apps write XMP

Four writers we can tie to a current manual or to a command we ran. A missing row does not mean your app never writes XMP. It means we are not claiming it here.

App	Where the XMP goes	What is documented
Lightroom Classic	Sidecar .xmp next to proprietary RAW. JPEG, TIFF, PSD and DNG: XMP inside the file.	Adobe: XMP is not written into proprietary raw “to avoid file corruption” (metadata basics). Sidecars are written when Automatically write changes into XMP is on, or via Metadata → Save Metadata to File. Otherwise the edits stay in the .lrcat catalog. From version 15.0 (October 2025), heavy edits can also go into a separate .acr sidecar (XMP and ACR sidecars).
Adobe Camera Raw	Either the Camera Raw database or a sidecar .xmp. You choose in preferences. DNG settings go inside the DNG unless you store a sidecar instead.	Adobe: the sidecar sits in the same folder, with the same base name and an .xmp extension, and can also hold IPTC and other metadata. If you have been using the database, Export Settings to XMP copies them out (Camera Raw settings).
darktable	Sidecar named `IMG_0001.CR3.xmp` (the original extension stays), plus the library database.	The 5.6 manual: metadata, tags and the full edit history go in the sidecar, and an XMP file is generated on first import unless you turn that off under preferences → storage (sidecar files). It reads a Lightroom `basename.xmp` on import, then writes its own name (importing other sidecars).
ExifTool 13.55	A .xmp file you name, or XMP inside formats it supports.	We used it to create the listing below. Its XMP tag pages document the groups that showed up: XMP-exif, XMP-dc, XMP-tiff, XMP-xmp, XMP-xmpMM, XMP-crs, XMP-iptcCore (ExifTool XMP tags).

How to open an .xmp file, with a real ExifTool listing

It is XML text. A text editor or a browser shows the packet. For a field list, ExifTool prints one row per property. On 22 October 2026 we wrote a sidecar with ExifTool 13.55 — not a camera file — and read it back with exiftool -a -G1 -s DSC_0512.xmp:

[File]          FileType                        : XMP
[File]          FileTypeExtension               : xmp
[File]          MIMEType                        : application/rdf+xml
[XMP-x]         XMPToolkit                      : Image::ExifTool 13.55
[XMP-iptcCore]  CreatorWorkEmail                : lab@example.com
[XMP-crs]       Exposure2012                    : 0.35
[XMP-dc]        Creator                         : CreatorPrivacyKit lab
[XMP-dc]        Rights                          : Lab sample, not a real copyright notice
[XMP-dc]        Subject                         : sidecar-test
[XMP-exif]      GPSAltitude                     : 12 m
[XMP-exif]      GPSLatitude                     : 10 deg 30' 0.00" N
[XMP-exif]      GPSLongitude                    : 20 deg 15' 0.00" E
[XMP-tiff]      Make                            : LabMake
[XMP-tiff]      Model                           : LabModel
[XMP-xmp]       CreatorTool                     : ExifTool 13.55
[XMP-xmp]       Rating                          : 3
[XMP-xmpMM]     HistoryAction                   : saved
[XMP-xmpMM]     HistorySoftwareAgent            : ExifTool 13.55
[XMP-xmpMM]     HistoryWhen                     : 2026:10:22 12:00:00+08:00
[Composite]     GPSLatitudeRef                  : North
[Composite]     GPSLongitudeRef                 : East
[Composite]     GPSPosition                     : 10 deg 30' 0.00" N, 20 deg 15' 0.00" E

The coordinates are the numbers we passed in (-XMP-exif:GPSLatitude=10.5 and -XMP-exif:GPSLongitude=20.25), not a photograph. ExifTool printed them as degrees with the hemisphere in the same value, and stored the work email as Iptc4xmpCore:CiEmailWork. File size and clock lines from that run are omitted here; they were just the lab machine. The sidecar has no pixels, so opening it does not show a picture.

Is it safe to delete .xmp files?

The photo itself is never harmed. What you lose depends on where else the same data lives:

Lightroom Classic user: the catalog is the primary store, so deleting the sidecars usually loses nothing as long as you keep the .lrcat. Another app (or another computer without your catalog) will then see the RAW as unedited.
Camera Raw with sidecar storage: if preferences say “Sidecar .xmp files”, that file is the record of your adjustments. Delete it and the RAW opens without those settings. If preferences say the Camera Raw database, the .xmp may not be the only copy.
darktable: the edit history is also in its library database, but the .xmp is what lets you move or re-import images with their history.
Sending files to someone: if they only need the image, leave the .xmp out. If they need your edit, include it — and read the next section first.

What an .xmp file can reveal

A sidecar is easy to zip up with the RAW and forget. Adobe’s namespace rules say a property can be absent; an empty field in someone else’s file means it was not written, not that the schema forbids it (XMP namespaces). The rows below are properties that were actually in our lab file, with the meaning from the spec or from ExifTool’s tag list.

What it can leak	Name in the listing	Where that name is defined
Where the camera was, if an app copied GPS into the sidecar	XMP-exif GPSLatitude, GPSLongitude, GPSAltitude	Written into the exif namespace (`http://ns.adobe.com/exif/1.0/`). In our file, 10.5 / 20.25 / 12 m.
Who edited it, and when	XMP-xmpMM HistoryAction, HistorySoftwareAgent, HistoryWhen	Adobe: xmpMM:History is an ordered list of high-level actions, and the application owns that property (XMP Media Management). Ours says saved, by ExifTool 13.55, at 2026-10-22 12:00 +08:00.
Which tool first touched the file, and a star rating	XMP-xmp CreatorTool, Rating	Adobe: xmp:CreatorTool is “the name of the first known tool used to create the resource” (XMP basic namespace).
Creator name, rights text, keyword	XMP-dc Creator, Rights, Subject	Dublin Core properties Adobe lists as a typical subset (namespace overview).
A work email	XMP-iptcCore CreatorWorkEmail	ExifTool stores it as Iptc4xmpCore:CiEmailWork. Ours was lab@example.com.
Camera make and model, when copied in	XMP-tiff Make, Model	We set LabMake and LabModel so the rows would show. A real sidecar may copy them from the camera instead.
A develop slider	XMP-crs Exposure2012	Namespace `http://ns.adobe.com/camera-raw-settings/1.0/`, which ExifTool wrote into the file. Ours was 0.35.

Zipping a RAW folder for a client, uploading it to a shared drive, or posting a “RAW + XMP” preset can hand over the location and the contact row even when the JPEG export was cleaned.

How to strip XMP before you share

The sidecar: simplest is not to send it. On the same lab file we then ran exiftool -overwrite_original '-XMP-exif:GPS*=' DSC_0512.xmp. ExifTool 13.55 updated the file, and a second exiftool -a -G1 -s DSC_0512.xmp printed no XMP-exif lines. Creator, rights, the keyword, the email, Exposure2012, make, model, CreatorTool, the rating and the three History fields were still there. Quote the asterisk so the shell does not treat it as a filename glob. Lightroom’s Metadata panel can clear fields too; read the file again after either method.

The exported JPEG/PNG/WebP: exports often carry XMP inside the file. The CreatorPrivacyKit Metadata Cleaner shows what is there and makes a clean copy in your browser — the file is not uploaded. It works on exported stills, not on RAW files or on .xmp sidecars themselves. See also XMP as a metadata layer and GPS metadata.

Not the RAM “XMP” in your BIOS

If you were looking for XMP in a BIOS or memory settings, that is Intel’s Extreme Memory Profile for RAM overclocking — unrelated to photo files (Intel: what is XMP).

Sources

Common questions

What is an XMP file?

A plain-text XML sidecar saved next to a photo (usually RAW) that stores edit settings, ratings, keywords, copyright and sometimes GPS, using Adobe's Extensible Metadata Platform (ISO 16684-1).

Can I delete .xmp files?

Yes, the photo is not damaged. In Lightroom Classic the catalog usually still holds your edits. In Camera Raw the .xmp is the record only when preferences store settings in sidecar files. If they live in the Camera Raw database, deleting a sidecar does not remove that copy.

How do I open an XMP file?

With any text editor or browser, since it is XML. ExifTool lists one row per field. The file contains no image.

Can an XMP file contain my location?

Yes. XMP has its own GPS fields, and photo apps may copy camera coordinates into the sidecar. Open it and search for GPSLatitude before sharing.

Is a photo XMP file the same as XMP in BIOS?

No. BIOS XMP is Intel's Extreme Memory Profile for RAM. Photo XMP is Adobe's Extensible Metadata Platform.