What is the MSDVD file format?
The .msdvd file is the project format for Windows DVD Maker, the disc-authoring application included with Windows Vista and Windows 7 Home Premium and Ultimate editions. Microsoft introduced it alongside Vista in 2007 and removed the application entirely in Windows 8 (2012).
An .msdvd file is a plain XML document with a <BurnWizard> root element. It stores references to the source video and audio files, the disc title, the menu style and button names, chapter marker positions, and DVD authoring parameters. It does not embed any media - it holds only file path references to the original source videos on the local drive. If those source files have moved or been deleted, the project cannot be reconstructed.
.msdvd files cannot be opened natively on Windows 8, 10, or 11 - Windows DVD Maker was removed from all subsequent Windows versions. Users who find an old .msdvd file can open it in any text editor (Notepad++, VS Code) to read the XML and recover the referenced media paths. Those source videos can then be re-authored in a current tool such as DVDStyler, Nero Video, or CyberLink PowerDirector.
The companion .mswmm format was used by Windows Movie Maker, a related application from the same era. The final disc output written by DVD Maker was a standard DVD-Video structure, optionally saved as an ISO image.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPlain XML file - no macros, no executable code. It can only be misused if an attacker crafts XML referencing UNC paths (\\server\share\...) to trigger network requests when Windows DVD Maker parses the file (XML external entity risk, historical). On modern Windows where DVD Maker does not run, the file is inert.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open MSDVD files
Windows2 apps
Microsoft Windows DVD Maker
Built-in Only available on Windows Vista / Windows 7 Home Premium and Ultimate. Double-click to reopen the project. NOT available on Windows 8 and later. 
Text editor (Notepad++, VS Code)
Open-source Right-click the .msdvd file > Open with > Notepad or VS Code to read the XML and extract the referenced video file paths. This is the practical first step on modern Windows. Technical details
deep spec| Format | Plain XML text file; root element is `<BurnWizard>` |
| Encoding | UTF-8 or UTF-16 (declared in the XML header) |
| Media storage | File path references only - no video or audio data is embedded in the `.msdvd` file |
| Content defined | Disc title, menu style, button labels, chapter marker positions, and DVD authoring parameters |
| File size | 1 KB - 50 KB (text descriptor only; source video files are stored externally) |
| Platform | Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Home Premium and Ultimate editions only) |
| Application status | Discontinued; Windows DVD Maker removed in Windows 8 (2012) and absent from all later Windows versions |
| Modern Windows support | No native application opens `.msdvd` on Windows 8, 10, or 11; readable only as plain XML in a text editor |
| Practical recovery | Open in a text editor, extract source file paths from the XML, then re-author in DVDStyler, Nero Video, or CyberLink PowerDirector |
| Companion format | `.mswmm` is the related Windows Movie Maker project file from the same Vista-era application suite |
| Output format | DVD-Video disc structure (VOB/IFO files), optionally saved as an ISO image |
| Released | 2007 (Windows Vista, included in Home Premium/Ultimate editions) |
| Latest version | Windows 7 version (format unchanged between Vista and 7) |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
MSDVD conversions
Community Q&A
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