What is the FRP file format?
.frp files are electronic-form documents created by Delrina PerForm and its successor FormFlow - a family of form-automation products from the 1990s that ran on DOS/GEM and later Windows 3.1. A .frp file encodes the complete layout and field definitions for a single form: static graphic elements, printed text, and interactive fillable fields that users completed on-screen.
The format is a proprietary Delrina binary with no publicly documented structure. Community reverse-engineering confirms a binary layout with field definitions, but no official specification was ever released. Companion files with extensions such as .fra (form data) and .frd appear in some FormFlow workflows.
The ownership chain of the product is long: Delrina was acquired by Symantec in 1995; the forms division was sold to JetForm in 1996; JetForm was acquired by Accelio, which was absorbed by Adobe. The FormFlow product line officially ended in 2004, leaving .frp with no maintained, official viewer.
Opening an .frp file today typically requires a surviving installation of FormFlow or PerForm running in a Windows 3.1/9x virtual machine. The practical goal is usually to print or export the form to PDF for preservation, or to recreate it as a modern interactive PDF or web form. Given the complete absence of modern support, .frp files are effectively archive-only artefacts requiring legacy software or emulation to access.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn .frp is passive form data, low risk in itself. The practical risks are obsolescence (no supported viewer; data can become unreadable) and sourcing: avoid sketchy 'FRP viewer/opener' download sites that bundle adware/PUPs. Prefer running legacy software in an isolated virtual machine rather than installing unknown 'universal file viewers'.
Format details
in a nutshell- FireRender / Radeon ProRender material (.frp) - Some 3D-rendering tools have used .frp for material/preset data - unrelated to Delrina forms.
- Generic 'project/preset' files - Assorted niche applications reuse .frp for project or preset data.
Programs that open FRP files
Windows2 apps
FormFlow / PerForm (legacy, in a VM)
Paid Install a surviving FormFlow/PerForm build (best inside a Windows 3.1/9x virtual machine), open the .frp, then print it to PDF to preserve it.
Adobe Acrobat (rebuild target, not a direct opener)
Paid Cannot open .frp directly. Use it to recreate the form as a modern interactive PDF, using a printout/PDF of the original as reference. Technical details
deep spec| Document type | Proprietary binary electronic-form template - page layout plus fillable field definitions |
| Encoding | Binary (proprietary Delrina format; structure undocumented) |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Contents | Page layout, static graphics and text, and interactive field definitions for PerForm/FormFlow |
| Companion formats | .fra (form data file), .frd (related FormFlow document data) |
| Typical file size | Tens of KB to a few MB (form template plus field data) |
| Original platform | DOS/GEM (PerForm, original); Windows 3.1 (FormFlow and FormFlow Pro) |
| Product end-of-life | FormFlow/PerForm officially ended 2004 (under Accelio/Adobe ownership) |
| Current viewer availability | No maintained official viewer; requires a legacy FormFlow/PerForm install, typically inside a Windows 3.1/9x VM |
| Ownership history | Delrina to Symantec (1995) to JetForm (1996) to Accelio to Adobe |
| Successor technology | Interactive PDF forms (AcroForm/XFA) and web-based e-forms |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream (no registered MIME type) |
| Released | Early-to-mid 1990s (Delrina PerForm / FormFlow on DOS/GEM, then Windows 3.1) |
| Latest version | Legacy; FormFlow product line officially ended 2004 (under Accelio/Adobe) |
FRP conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about FRP files.
