What is the FP3 file format?
.fp3 files are used for storing a fully rendered report snapshot produced by FastReport, a reporting engine developed by Fast Reports Inc. Files with this extension are used by the FastReport tool to hold prepared report output - the result of running an .fr3 template against a live data source - rather than to create editable page-layout designs.
The rendered document contains positioned pages with text, images, charts, and barcodes already merged with data, making it ready to view, print, or export without re-querying the source. This gives .fp3 a role similar to a PDF: a fixed, portable snapshot of a finished report.
The format dates from FastReport VCL 3.x and is supported on Windows, Linux (via FastReport Lazarus/FMX), and macOS. Files are saved in a compact, typically compressed binary stream, with an XML serialization option also available. Password protection is optional. A later variant, .fp4, serves the same purpose for newer FastReport generations.
Open .fp3 files with the free FastReport Viewer or within FastReport VCL Designer/Studio.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn .fp3 is a finished, data-filled report document - it carries no live data-source logic or the template's scripts, so a prepared report is low-risk to open and view. Use FastReport Viewer or the originating app rather than unknown 'FP3 viewer' download sites (which can bundle adware). If a report is sensitive, note that FastReport can password-protect the saved file.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open FP3 files
Windows3 apps
FastReport Viewer
Free Open FastReport Viewer, click Open and select the .fp3 (or drag it in) to view, print and export. Free dedicated viewer.
FastReport VCL Designer / Studio
Paid Open the .fp3 to view and re-export; the designer also opens the .fr3 template behind it. Bundled with the VCL package.
The originating application
Paid The Delphi/C++Builder app that produced the report can reopen its own .fp3 for preview/print/export. 
macOS1 app
FastReport FMX viewer/designer
Paid Cross-platform FastReport FMX editions can open FP3-family prepared reports on macOS. 
Linux1 app
FastReport FMX / Lazarus viewer
Paid Use the cross-platform/Lazarus FastReport viewer to open and export the .fp3 on Linux. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Prepared (rendered) report - data already merged into the layout; not an editable template |
| Encoding | Binary serialized stream, typically compressed; XML serialization also supported |
| Container structure | FastReport report object tree: pages containing bands and positioned objects (text, images, charts, barcodes) with merged data |
| Compression | Applied on save by default, reducing file size relative to the raw in-memory report tree |
| Password protection | Optional - FastReport supports encrypting the prepared report with a password before saving |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream (no formally registered MIME; application/x-fastreport used informally) |
| Typical file size | Tens of KB to several MB, scaling with page count, image content, and data volume |
| Platform support | Windows (FastReport VCL/FMX); Linux and macOS (FastReport FMX and Lazarus editions) |
| Source template | Produced by running an .fr3 template through the FastReport engine against a live data source |
| Version lineage | '3' in .fp3 reflects FastReport VCL 3.x origin; .fp4 is the next-generation prepared-report format |
| Data state | Fixed read-only document - merged data cannot be re-queried or modified; behaves like a print-ready snapshot |
| Supported object types | Text, rich text, images, charts, barcodes, QR codes, subreports, cross-tabs - all rendered in place |
| Primary operations | View, print, page-navigate, and export (to PDF, Excel, HTML, RTF, CSV) via FastReport Viewer or SDK |
| File identification | No fixed magic-byte signature; identified by .fp3 extension and FastReport internal serialization markers |
| Released | Early 2000s (FastReport VCL 3.x - the '3' in fp3, alongside the .fr3 template) |
| Latest version | Current FastReport VCL / FMX / Lazarus editions still produce .fp3 prepared reports |
| Specification | www.fast-report.com |
FP3 conversions
Community Q&A
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