Free online QCOW2 to RAW converter
Convert QCOW2 virtual disk images to RAW format with qemu-img.
Convert QCOW2 to RAW online - free
Your file is processed instantly and never stored on our servers.
How to convert qcow2 to raw file
- Virtualization
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Source format: qcow2
QCOW2 is a disk image format used mainly by QEMU and KVM virtual machines. It stores an entire virtual disk, including partitions, filesystems, and boot data, and supports features such as snapshots, compression, and copy-on-write. QCOW2 is common in Linux virtualization environments and is often used for VM disks because it can save space and support advanced image management.
Target format: raw
RAW is a simple, unstructured disk image format that contains a direct sector-by-sector copy of a disk. It has very broad compatibility with virtualization tools, forensic software, and disk utilities. Compared with QCOW2, RAW is usually easier for other systems to read and can offer slightly better performance because it has no format overhead, but it typically uses more storage space.
How to perform the conversion
The most reliable tool for this conversion is qemu-img, which is included with QEMU on Linux, macOS, and Windows builds that provide QEMU utilities.
- Install QEMU utilities if they are not already available.
- Open a terminal or command prompt.
- Run the conversion command:
qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O raw input.qcow2 output.raw - Wait for the process to finish. Large images may take some time.
- Verify the result with
qemu-img info output.rawif needed.
If you prefer a graphical workflow, some virtualization managers can export or clone disks, but qemu-img is the standard and most dependable method for a direct QCOW2 to RAW conversion. You can also convert the file on 101convert.com for free, without installing any software.
Notes on quality, compatibility, or limitations
This conversion is usually lossless in terms of disk contents: the virtual disk data is preserved, but QCOW2-specific features such as snapshots and internal metadata are not carried over into RAW. Because RAW images are uncompressed, the output file may be much larger than the source QCOW2 file. Also, if the QCOW2 image is sparse, the resulting RAW file may still occupy significant space depending on the filesystem and storage backend. Make sure the source image is not actively written by a running VM during conversion, or the output may be inconsistent.
Note: This qcow2 to raw conversion record is incomplete, must be verified, and may contain inaccuracies. Please vote below whether you found this information helpful or not.
Frequently asked questions
Is the QCOW2 to RAW converter free?
Yes, converting QCOW2 to RAW on 101convert.com is completely free. No registration, email address or installation is required.
How large can my QCOW2 file be?
You can upload QCOW2 files up to 2000 MB and convert up to 1 files at once in a single batch.
What happens to my uploaded files?
Files are processed automatically and deleted from our servers within a few minutes after conversion. We never view or share your files.
Do I need to install any software to convert QCOW2 to RAW?
No. The QCOW2 to RAW conversion runs entirely online in your browser and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.
Did the conversion fail?
In most cases, the cause is an incorrect file format. Please upload a valid QCOW2 file for this QCOW2 to RAW conversion. Occasionally, the issue may be on our side. We analyze recurring conversion failures and disable or fix the converter if we detect a defect.