What is the FMT file format?
A .fmt file is a plain-text screen format definition used by dBASE IV, FoxPro, FoxBase+, and Clipper database systems. It describes how input forms appear on character-cell (text-mode) displays: field positions, labels, validation rules, and display attributes for database screens.
The file contains layout commands such as @ row,col SAY (output a label) and @ row,col GET (display an editable field), written in the xBase dialect of the host system. There is no fixed magic-byte signature - the file is pure ASCII text, typically encoded in CP437 or CP850 on DOS systems and Windows-1252 on Windows.
.fmt files were the standard form-design mechanism from approximately 1988 (dBASE IV) through the early 1990s. When Visual FoxPro 3.0 arrived in 1995, GUI development shifted to binary .scx (Screen Class) files, effectively making .fmt a character-mode legacy format. The format is also shared by Clipper 5 and dBFast, both popular xBase compilers of that era.
Microsoft's final release, Visual FoxPro 9.0 (2007), still supported .fmt for backward compatibility, but the product reached end of extended support in 2015. dBASE Plus (dbase.com) continues as an independent product and retains .fmt support. Because .fmt is plain text, any text editor such as Notepad++ can open and modify these files, though without dedicated syntax highlighting.
The .fmt extension is also used by unrelated software - including Sega FM audio formats and WinHex file type definitions - so context matters when identifying such files.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPlain text file; contains no executable code by itself. Harmless to view. The FoxPro runtime would execute embedded expressions, but the file cannot run on its own.
Format details
in a nutshell- Sega FM Sound File - Some Sega Genesis/Mega Drive music tools use .fmt for FM synthesizer instrument patch data.
- WinHex / X-Ways Template - WinHex uses .fmt for template files that define binary structure definitions for forensic analysis.
- Generic format template - Various unrelated applications use .fmt for format/template configuration files (no dominant second meaning).
Programs that open FMT files
Windows3 apps
NotePad++ text editor
Open-source Open .fmt in Notepad++ to read/edit the plain-text screen definition commands. 
Visual FoxPro 9.0
Paid Open within a FoxPro project; the file is loaded by the database runtime. View/edit as text using any editor.
dBASE Plus
Paid Open legacy .fmt files in dBASE Plus for inspection; may require conversion to current form format. Technical details
deep spec| File type | Plain-text screen form layout definition |
| Encoding | ASCII (CP437/CP850 on DOS; Windows-1252 on Windows) |
| Container | Plain text, no binary structure |
| Command syntax | xBase `@ row,col SAY/GET` screen-positioning commands |
| Typical size | 1 KB - 50 KB |
| Originating products | dBASE IV, FoxBase+, FoxPro 2.x, Clipper 5, Visual FoxPro 3-9 |
| Display target | Character-cell (text-mode) terminals; not GUI |
| Superseded by | .scx (Screen Class) in Visual FoxPro 3+ (1995) for GUI forms |
| Magic bytes | None (plain text; no fixed binary signature) |
| Associated OS | DOS, Windows |
| Related file types | .dbf (data tables), .prg (program code), .scx (GUI screen class) |
| Editor support | Any text editor; no modern dedicated IDE |
| Product EOL | Visual FoxPro 9.0 (2007); extended support ended 2015; dBASE Plus still active |
| Released | circa 1988 (dBASE IV) |
| Latest version | Visual FoxPro 9.0 (2007, Microsoft's final version) |
FMT conversions
Community Q&A
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