What is the MOFF file format?
A .moff file is a Sony AVCHD index file generated by digital cameras and camcorders produced by Sony. .moff files are used by Picture Motion Browser, a photo and video management application bundled with Sony Handycam camcorders. Unlike the companion video files, .moff files store no actual video, audio, or image data - they hold only analysis metadata used for organising multimedia content. .moff files can also contain GPS data if the camera supports such a function.
Capabilities of .moff files
.moff files are generated automatically by the camera device, or when video files are imported into Picture Motion Browser, as a means of storing indexed analysis results. A .moff file allows content to be sorted by date, records scene-detection and highlight markers so the library can search footage quickly, and may store location information tied to where a clip was captured.
.moff and .modd files
.moff files are typically accompanied by .modd sidecar files, which store video-clip metadata in XML format. Both .moff and .modd files are not required to play back a given video - the actual footage lives in .mts or .m2ts files - but without them, video analysis and smart browsing inside Picture Motion Browser are not possible. Deleting a .moff discards only the analysis cache and leaves the source clip untouched.
Additional information
.moff files are associated with Sony PlayMemories Home, released around 2011-2012 as a replacement for Picture Motion Browser. PlayMemories Home has since been discontinued, and Sony's current workflow tools no longer rely on .moff index files.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWMOFF files are inert proprietary index data - they do not execute and contain no media, so they pose essentially no risk. They are safe to delete: Sony's software regenerates them when needed and your actual video is unaffected. The only real-world pitfall is 'fake .moff opener/converter' download sites that promise to play the file; since the format has no media to show, such tools are pointless and may bundle unwanted software.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open MOFF files
Windows1 app
Sony PlayMemories Home
Free The successor to Picture Motion Browser; it reads/regenerates .moff indexes for imported clips. Now legacy/discontinued by Sony - install only if you still maintain an old library. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Binary sidecar index (metadata only, not media) |
| Encoding | Proprietary binary; internal structure is undocumented |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| File purpose | Records video-analysis results - scene-change markers, face-detection data, and highlight points - for a companion AVCHD clip |
| Companion file | Paired with a .modd XML metadata sidecar for each clip |
| Associated video formats | Indexes .mts / .m2ts AVCHD clips recorded by Sony camcorders |
| Typical file size | A few KB to low single-digit MB; scales with the duration and complexity of the analyzed clip |
| Media content | Stores no video frames, audio samples, or embedded images - analysis index data only |
| File identification | Identified by filename and location within the AVCHD folder tree; no published magic-byte signature |
| GPS / location data | May embed GPS coordinates if the recording camera supported geotagging |
| Primary OS | Windows (generated and consumed by Picture Motion Browser and PlayMemories Home) |
| Generation trigger | Written automatically on import into Picture Motion Browser or PlayMemories Home; also created by compatible Sony cameras at recording time |
| Deletion impact | Deleting a .moff removes only the analysis cache; companion video files remain intact and fully playable |
| Software lineage | Picture Motion Browser (bundled with Handycam circa 2007) → PlayMemories Home (2011-2012) → discontinued; succeeded by Sony Catalyst Browse |
| Released | Circa 2007 (with Sony Picture Motion Browser bundled with Handycam camcorders) |
| Latest version | Tied to Picture Motion Browser / PlayMemories Home era (late 2000s-2010s) |
MOFF conversions
Community Q&A
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