What is the CLK file format?
.clk is a project file created by Corel R.A.V.E. (Real Animated Vector Effects). CLK files store object animation data in a RIFF-based binary container. Each project file can contain objects such as drawings, text, buttons, or custom shapes, and each object carries its own animation settings - keyframes, motion paths, and timing properties.
CLK files were designed for vector animations intended for use in websites. The underlying technology allowed for media playback and was conceptually similar to Flash, making R.A.V.E. a direct competitor to Adobe Flash at the time. CLK files could be exported to .swf (Shockwave Flash) for web delivery.
Corel R.A.V.E. was introduced in CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 10 (2001) and reached its final version, R.A.V.E. 3.0, in CorelDRAW 12 (2004). The project was discontinued by Corel and is no longer actively developed. CorelDRAW X3 (version 13, released 2006) dropped R.A.V.E. entirely, and no subsequent CorelDRAW release has offered native .clk support.
The last version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite that supported CLK files was version 12. With Adobe Flash reaching end-of-life in December 2020, the SWF export target is also obsolete, leaving .clk files as purely archival artifacts. CorelDRAW's modern animation support uses a Timeline workflow saved as a .cdr file rather than .clk.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWProprietary binary format; no known security issues. The software to open it (CorelDRAW 10-12) is outdated and running it in a VM for legacy file access is the safest approach.
Format details
in a nutshell- Clicker (teaching software) activity file - Crick Software's Clicker (educational literacy tool) may use .clk for activity/grid files - unrelated to Corel.
Programs that open CLK files
Windows1 app
CorelDRAW 10 / 11 / 12 (legacy)
Paid Run CorelDRAW 10/11/12 (in a Windows XP/7 VM if necessary); open R.A.V.E. from the suite. These versions are no longer sold by Corel. Technical details
deep spec| File type | Proprietary vector animation file |
| Container | RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) |
| Magic bytes | `RIFF` at offset 0; form type `CARA` at offset 8 |
| Byte order | Little-endian (RIFF convention) |
| Color depth | 32-bit (vector with alpha/transparency support) |
| Introduced | 2001 with CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 10 |
| Final version | Corel R.A.V.E. 3.0, included in CorelDRAW 12 (2004) |
| Discontinued | Not included in CorelDRAW X3 (version 13, 2006) or any later release |
| Export target | .swf (Shockwave Flash) for web delivery; Flash EOL December 2020 |
| Typical size | 10 KB - 10 MB |
| Compression | Proprietary (vector data within RIFF chunks) |
| Associated OS | Windows only |
| Modern equivalent | CorelDRAW Timeline animations saved as .cdr (CorelDRAW 2021+) |
| Released | 2001 (CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 10) |
| Latest version | Corel R.A.V.E. 3.0 (last version, included in CorelDRAW 12, 2004) |
CLK conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about CLK files.
