What is the CDG file format?
.cdg files are associated with karaoke software such as DART Karaoke Studio, VLC media player, and KaraFun Player. They are the graphics sidecar track of the CD+G (CD+Graphics) standard - a Philips/Sony extension of the audio CD specification.
.cdg files are binary files used for storing song lyrics and synchronized graphics for karaoke players (they are so-called lyrics files, or "MP3+G graphics files"). They consist of a raw stream of 24-byte CD subcode packets, timed to audio at 300 packets per second, rendering a 300×216 pixel, 16-color display.
Karaoke software like DART Karaoke Studio offers users advanced tools for creating custom karaoke music libraries. It allows users to add lyrics and synchronize them with the audio track. The resulting lyrics tracks along with timings are saved as .cdg files.
Files with the .cdg extension store only lyrics and graphics, along with the information needed for text-audio synchronization. .cdg files do not store actual audio tracks or other audio data - they always act as a sidecar paired with an identically named audio file, most commonly an MP3. Both files together form an "MP3+G" track, and are often distributed bundled in a ZIP archive.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWCDG files are passive graphics data with no executable content, so they are low risk. The main caution is around fake "CDG player" or "CDG converter" download sites that bundle adware/PUPs - stick to VLC (open source) and well-known karaoke apps. Also note that a lone .cdg with no audio is not corrupt; it simply needs its matching song file.
Format details
in a nutshell- DART Karaoke Studio lyrics file - DART's karaoke authoring tool reads/writes these same CD+G graphics; it is the same format, not a separate one (the DB just named it after that app).
Programs that open CDG files
Windows4 apps
VLC media player
Open-source Open the matching audio file (same name) - VLC overlays the .cdg lyrics automatically. 
Karafun Player
Freemium Add the song.mp3 (with song.cdg beside it) to the queue; lyrics display in sync.
PowerKaraoke / CD+G Player
Paid Open the MP3+G pair; designed specifically for CD+G playback and hosting. 
macOS1 app
Linux1 app
Android1 app
VLC for Android
Open-source Keep song.mp3 and song.cdg together and open the audio - lyrics overlay if supported. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Raw CD subcode graphics stream (binary) |
| Packet structure | 24-byte subcode packets encoding the P-W subchannel data |
| Packet rate | 300 packets per second, synchronized to CD audio timing |
| Graphics resolution | 300×216 pixels visible area (288×192 inside a 6-pixel border) |
| Color depth | 4-bit palette - 16 simultaneous colors per screen |
| Encoding | Binary - no text or character encoding |
| Compression | None - raw uncompressed packet stream |
| Pairing requirement | Sidecar file - must be paired with an identically named audio file to play |
| Common pairing | .mp3 + .cdg (MP3+G) - the most widespread karaoke distribution format |
| Typical file size | 150 KB - 400 KB per song |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| File identification | No magic bytes - identified by regular 24-byte packet structure and pairing with audio file |
| Distribution packaging | Often bundled with a matching audio file inside a ZIP archive |
| Platform support | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| Released | 1980s (CD+G - the 'Graphics' subchannel of the Red Book CD standard) |
| Latest version | CD+G subcode spec (stable since the 1980s) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | jbum.com |
CDG conversions
Community Q&A
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