What is the MDP file format?
.MDP is a legacy project workspace file created by Microsoft Developer Studio - the IDE bundled with Visual C++ 4.x and 5.0 in the mid-1990s. It stores the project's source-file list, build targets (Debug/Release configurations), compiler and linker settings, and IDE state for the Developer Studio environment.
Internally, an .mdp file is an OLE2 / Compound File Binary (CFBF) structured-storage document - the same container technology used by early Microsoft Office files. It is not human-readable; it begins with the standard OLE magic bytes D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1. The file records project configuration and build settings but not the actual source code - the .c, .cpp, and .h files are referenced by path, not embedded.
Visual C++ 6.0 (1998) superseded .mdp with a pair of plain-text files: the .dsw workspace file and the .dsp project file. These were in turn replaced by the .SLN solution format and .vcproj / .vcxproj project files used by Visual Studio 2005 and later.
Modern Visual Studio cannot directly import an .mdp file. The practical approach is to create a new solution, add the original .cpp and .h source files, and reconfigure the build settings manually.
Note: the .mdp extension is also used by MediBang Paint and FireAlpaca for raster artwork files - an entirely unrelated format that shares only the extension name.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn .mdp project workspace is inert metadata (a file list + settings), so it carries no inherent runtime risk. The only caution is general supply-chain hygiene: building an unknown legacy project compiles and runs whatever source it references, so review the code before building, and obtain old Microsoft IDEs from legitimate sources. If a file you think is a code .mdp is actually a MediBang Paint image (or vice versa), you've simply picked the wrong tool - check the file in context.
Format details
in a nutshell- MediBang Paint / FireAlpaca artwork (.mdp) - A layered raster drawing/painting file used by MediBang Paint and FireAlpaca - a completely separate, popular image format that shares the .mdp extension.
- Embird / embroidery and other niche .mdp data files - A few other applications reuse .mdp for their own project/data files; not related to Visual C++.
Programs that open MDP files
Windows3 apps
Visual Studio (recreate the project)
Freemium Modern Visual Studio can't open an .mdp directly - create a new C++ project and Add Existing Items for the source/header files, then re-set include paths and build options.
Visual C++ 6.0 (legacy, if available)
Paid Older VC++/Developer Studio could open or import the .mdp workspace; only viable on a legacy/VM setup since these IDEs are obsolete.
A hex/structured-storage viewer (inspection)
Free Open the .mdp in HxD (or an OLE structured-storage viewer) to read the referenced file names/paths for rebuilding the project. Technical details
deep spec| File type | Legacy IDE project/workspace definition |
| Encoding | Binary (OLE2 / Compound File Binary) |
| Container | OLE2 / Compound File Binary (CFBF) structured storage |
| Magic bytes | D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 (standard OLE2/CFBF header at offset 0) |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Typical file size | A few KB to tens of KB (stores references and settings, not source code) |
| Content stored | Source/header file list, build configurations (Debug/Release), IDE and compiler settings; source code is referenced by path, not embedded |
| IDE version | Microsoft Developer Studio / Visual C++ 4.x-5.0 (mid-1990s) |
| Superseded by | .dsw + .dsp (Visual C++ 6.0, 1998); then .sln + .vcproj/.vcxproj (Visual Studio 2005 onward) |
| Compatible OS | Windows (95/NT through legacy compatibility) |
| Name collision | .mdp extension also used by MediBang Paint and FireAlpaca for raster artwork - an entirely unrelated format |
| Released | Microsoft Developer Studio / Visual C++ 4.x-5.0 (mid-1990s) |
| Latest version | Visual C++ 5.0 era; replaced by the .dsw/.dsp workspace+project pair in VC++ 6.0 (1998), and later by .sln/.vcproj/.vcxproj |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
MDP conversions
Community Q&A
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