What is the DDF file format?
.ddf files are used by the Windows family of operating systems. They specify .cab (Cabinet) archive compression properties, directing the makecab.exe tool on how to build a cabinet package. Windows uses .cab files as installation archives for applications, drivers, and system components.
A .ddf file controls which compression algorithm the resulting cabinet will use. The three supported algorithms are:
MSZIP(compatible with ZIP)LZXQuantum
.ddf files also store detailed settings for the compression algorithm - output cabinet name, disk directory, folder boundaries, and other packaging parameters. The directive syntax uses dot-prefixed keywords (.Set, .New, .Delete) alongside source-file paths to be packed.
Importantly, .ddf files are not saved within the resulting .cab archive - they are purely build-time input scripts. To generate a cabinet from a .ddf, run: makecab /f yourfile.ddf.
Because .ddf files store data in plain text, they can be opened in any text editor or word processor. However, the directive syntax is specific to the MakeCAB/Diamond toolchain, so it is not recommended to edit a .ddf manually without understanding that syntax.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA DDF is a small text script and is safe to read in any editor. The only caution: the source files it lists are what get packed into a CAB, so if you build a cabinet from an untrusted DDF, inspect which files it references. The DDF itself cannot execute on its own - it only does anything when passed to makecab.
Format details
in a nutshell- Btrieve / Pervasive Data Dictionary File - In Btrieve/Pervasive PSQL databases, FILE.DDF (plus FIELD.DDF, INDEX.DDF) defines table/column metadata.
- Amiga / generic data file - Various legacy applications used .ddf for assorted data dictionaries or settings.
Programs that open DDF files
Windows3 apps
MakeCAB (makecab.exe)
Built-in In a command prompt run: makecab /f yourfile.ddf - this executes the directives to build the .cab.
Notepad / VS Code
Open-source Open the .ddf for editing with syntax highlighting and larger-file handling. Technical details
deep spec| File type | Plain-text build directive script (ASCII or UTF-8) |
| Purpose | Input script consumed by makecab.exe (Diamond) to generate Windows Cabinet (.cab) archives |
| Directive syntax | Dot-prefixed keywords (.Set, .New, .Delete, .Option) plus one source-file path per non-directive line |
| Supported compression | MSZIP (ZIP-compatible), LZX, Quantum - specified via .Set CompressionType= |
| Cabinet output | Does not produce a cabinet itself; passed to makecab.exe /f file.ddf to generate the .cab |
| DDF inclusion in CAB | Not embedded in the resulting .cab - purely a build-time input script |
| Typical file size | Under 1 KB to a few KB (a list of directives and source-file paths) |
| CAB capacity | The produced .cab supports up to ~65,535 files; individual cabinet folders up to 2 GB |
| Associated tool | makecab.exe (built into Windows) and the Microsoft Cabinet SDK |
| MIME type | text/plain (no registered MIME type; identified by the .ddf extension) |
| OS support | Windows (makecab.exe is a Windows-specific tool) |
| Encoding | Text (ASCII/ANSI; UTF-8 also accepted for paths with non-ASCII characters) |
| Released | 1990s (Microsoft Cabinet SDK / Diamond cabinet tool) |
| Latest version | Stable; consumed by makecab.exe (Windows) and the Cabinet SDK |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
DDF conversions
Community Q&A
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