What is the CPS file format?
A .cps file is a Central Point PC Tools Backup File, a proprietary binary backup archive created by CPBACKUP.EXE, the backup utility included in Central Point PC Tools for DOS and early Windows. Central Point Software developed PC Tools as an all-in-one system utility suite beginning in the late 1980s; CPBACKUP was its dedicated backup component, producing .cps archive files.
Backup sets use a proprietary container with custom compression and optional password protection. Because floppy disks were the primary backup medium, large backups were routinely split across multiple volumes. Each session includes a catalog describing the directory structure and file list. The internal format varied across PC Tools versions 6 through 9 and is incompatible between major releases.
Symantec acquired Central Point Software in 1994 and discontinued PC Tools. No modern software supports the .cps backup format. Recovering data from these files today requires the original CPBACKUP.EXE running under a DOS emulator such as DOSBox - and even then the original installation media may be needed. The format has been effectively defunct for over 25 years.
Note: .cps is also used by Corel Photo House for a raster image format - an entirely separate and unrelated use of the same extension.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWOld binary data files; no known execution risk. Files from this era are data-only.
Format details
in a nutshell- Corel Photo House Image - Corel Photo House (discontinued consumer photo editor, ~1990s-2000s) saved images as .cps; format also defunct.
- Classroom Performance System Data - eInstruction/Turning Technologies Classroom Performance System (student response clicker system) uses .cps for session data files.
- The Powder Toy Saved Game - Open-source physics sandbox game uses .cps for saved simulation files.
Programs that open CPS files
Windows1 app
DOSBox (with original PC Tools disks)
Open-source Run DOSBox, mount the disk image with original Central Point PC Tools, then run CPBACKUP /RESTORE. Requires original software media. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary (proprietary) |
| Byte order | Little-endian (DOS/x86 era) |
| Container | Proprietary Central Point CPBACKUP archive |
| Compression | Proprietary custom compression (undocumented; implemented in CPBACKUP.EXE) |
| Encryption | Optional password protection supported by CPBACKUP |
| Multi-volume support | Backup sets can span multiple floppy disk volumes |
| Backup catalog | Includes a session catalog listing directory structure and file entries |
| Version compatibility | PC Tools versions 6-9 produce incompatible formats across major releases |
| Associated OS | DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 9x |
| Magic bytes | None publicly documented; proprietary format with no known file signature |
| Developer | Central Point Software (acquired by Symantec 1994; product discontinued) |
| Recovery today | Requires original CPBACKUP.EXE under a DOS emulator; no modern software supports the format |
| Status | Defunct since approximately 1994; effectively unrecoverable without original PC Tools installation media |
| Released | ~1989 (Central Point PC Tools v6 era) |
CPS conversions
Community Q&A
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