Adobe DNG Coverter - overwrite original DNG using standalone app

Forum|Forum|1 day ago
March 7, 2026
3 replies
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I have programs that generate full size DNG files, and I would like to use the stand alone version of Adobe DNG Converter to compress those files and then overwrite the original DNG to save on additional steps. I believe that is an option within Lightroom but I don’t see that capability within the stand alone app.

I understand the risks associated with overwriting originals, but this a unique need for my workflow.

DNG Converter 18.2.0.2482 on Windows 11.

Many thanks.

jacob_4375

Participant

As far as I know, the standalone Adobe DNG Converter does not allow overwriting the original DNG files. It always creates a new file in the output location. If you want the compressed file to replace the original, you would need to save it to another folder and then replace the original manually or with a simple script. Lightroom has more options for handling this, but the standalone converter is more limited.

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

Hi @Dave22152 I cannot be sure about DNGs created by other apps, but I just ran a successful conversion of DNGs originating from Nikon NEFs converted in Lightroom-Classic.

A couple of points- If you have opened the DNG Converter UI then you add a FOLDER of files to convert. Do not try to select individual files- it won’t work.

In the Adobe DNG Converter Preferences you can set the amount of Lossy compression you want-

And my results were as follows with the 2560px option-

Original DNGs-

And the DNGs created in the converter-

And the smaller images open OK in ACR and Photoshop-

You will find that over-writing is not possible. If you save to the same location you can give an amended name for the new files, otherwise the converter automatically renames with a “_1”. As this-

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .

Dave22152Author

Participant

@Rob_Cullen thanks for the detailed explanation. I’ve had no problem converting DNGs but it appears you’ve confirmed that overwriting is not possible. Earlier posts said that was possible, but that was several years ago and perhaps they removed that ability due to issues with people deleting originals by mistake.

I appreciate the time you took to answer my question

best/Dave G

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

@Dave22152 Agreed, it seems you cannot over-write with same file-name. Best you can do would be to export/create the lossy DNGs in another folder and simply delete the source folder- not a real onerous task.

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .