What is the CPDX file format?
A .cpdx file is a storyboard project made with Adobe Captivate Draft, a free iPad app for planning eLearning content. Each file holds one or more slides, and a slide can carry text, drawn objects, web objects, and embedded media such as audio, video, and images. Instructional designers used Draft to rough out quizzes, software demonstrations, and simulations before building the finished course. Projects synced through Adobe Creative Cloud so work started on an iPad could move to a desktop.
Adobe stopped developing Captivate Draft in July 2019 and removed the app from the App Store on 19 July 2021. As a result, no new .cpdx files can be created, and the format is now handled almost entirely on the desktop.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA CPDX file is a passive project document with no scripting or executable code, so it poses little direct risk. The practical hazard is access: Captivate Draft is discontinued, so a .cpdx file that was never imported into desktop Captivate may be hard to open today. Only open files from sources you trust.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open CPDX files
Windows1 app
Adobe Captivate
Paid Install Captivate 9 or later, then choose File, New Project, Project from Adobe Captivate Draft, and select the .cpdx file to import it as an editable project. 
macOS1 app
Adobe Captivate
Paid Open Captivate 9 or later, then use File, New Project, Project from Adobe Captivate Draft to browse to and import the .cpdx storyboard. 
Adobe Captivate Draft
Free Historically the iPad app that both created and opened .cpdx files; it was removed from the App Store on 19 July 2021 and can no longer be installed. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary project package |
| Container | Proprietary Captivate Draft project package (not a documented open container) |
| Compression | Unknown / not publicly documented |
| Encryption | None documented |
| Typical size | A few hundred KB to several MB, depending on embedded audio, video, and images |
| Structure | Stores one or more storyboard slides along with their text, drawn objects, web objects, and embedded media (audio, video, and images), plus slide order and basic interaction notes for an eLearning project. |
| Integrity | None documented |
| Platforms | iOS, iPadOS, Windows, macOS |
| Notes | Created by the Adobe Captivate Draft app on iPad. Projects sync through Adobe Creative Cloud and are imported into desktop Adobe Captivate, which converts them into editable .cptx projects. Adobe stopped development of Captivate Draft in July 2019 and removed the app from the App Store on 19 July 2021, so no new CPDX files can be created. |
| Released | 2015 |
| Latest version | Captivate Draft 1.0.5 |
| Specification | helpx.adobe.com |
CPDX conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about CPDX files.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a .cpdx file?
.cpdx file, and click Open. Captivate imports it as an editable project.Can I still use the Captivate Draft app to open CPDX files?
.cpdx files.What is the difference between .cpdx and .cptx?
.cpdx file is a rough storyboard from the Captivate Draft iPad app. A .cptx file is a full editable project in desktop Captivate. Importing a .cpdx produces a .cptx you can finish and publish.Can I convert a CPDX file to PDF or Word?
.cpdx into Captivate to create a .cptx, then publish that project to PDF, or in Captivate Classic print it as a Storyboard Word document.Is a CPDX file safe to open?
Do I need an internet connection to open a CPDX file?
.cpdx on disk you can import it offline.
