﻿ WMF File Extension - What is it and how to open WMF format - Review

Opening WMF files

Have a problem opening a .WMF file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what WMF files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .WMF file type?

The .wmf filename extension belongs to Windows Metafile (WMF), the standard metafile format in Microsoft Windows before Windows Vista. Built upon using Graphical Device Interface (GDI) system calls to draw graphics, WMF accommodates different types of data, including executable code. Expanded into the Enhanced Metafile (EMF) format and superseded by it, WMF is still used as a vector graphics format, especially for clip art.

A .wmf file is a Windows metafile, most commonly a vector-based graphical image. In Windows, any .wmf file can be opened in the rasterized form in Microsoft Paint. Apart from that, WMF files can be viewed, imported, or modified in many image viewers and graphics editors. Vector-based WMF images can be converted into PNG, JPEG, or TIFF through rasterizing. ZIP-compressed WMF files receive the .wmz extension.


WMF is included in the potentially-dangerous format list, and .wmf files are scanned for security threats by default by most antivirus software. For security reasons, Microsoft has removed the WMF thumbnail generation support in Windows Vista and later.

Alternatively, the .wmf extension covers the Widelands Map File (.wmf) file type, with reference to Widelands, an open-source single- and multi-player Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game alike Settlers II. The .wmf file is a ZIP archive with a directory tree that contains game map files.


Software to open or convert WMF files

You can open WMF files with the following programs:
IrfanView by Irfan Skiljan
PicosmosTools by Free Time
Nero PhotoSnap
Nero PhotoSnap by Nero AG

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