What is the OFD file format?
.ofd is China's national open fixed-layout document format, standardized as GB/T 33190 by the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI). Conceptually similar to a .pdf document, it stores page content in absolute coordinates inside a ZIP container that holds XML layout files, fonts, images, and digital signature data.
Published in 2016 (GB/T 33190-2016) and revised in 2020, OFD has become a mandatory format in China for government electronic documents and commercial records. Since 2021, China's national tax authority requires all electronic VAT invoices to be issued in .ofd format, making it a daily-use file for businesses operating in China.
The .ofd container is a ZIP archive - inspectable by renaming to .zip - with an OFD.xml entry point, per-page Pages/ XML files, and a Res/ directory for embedded fonts and images. A key differentiator from PDF is native support for Chinese national cryptographic standards: SM2 digital signatures and SM4 symmetric encryption, used for electronic seals (电子印章) on official documents.
Opening .ofd files outside China requires dedicated software. WPS Office handles them natively across platforms. Foxit PDF Reader supports OFD via plugin, and the open-source libofd C++ library enables programmatic access.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWOFD files are XML documents in a ZIP container; no executable code. Low direct risk. Electronic seal (SM2 signature) validation requires Chinese crypto libraries - standard tools may not verify the signature, but the content itself is safe to view. Chinese e-invoices in OFD format are official government-issued documents; spoofing OFD e-invoices is a concern for accounting departments (validate QR code via Chinese tax authority systems).
Format details
in a nutshell- ObjectView Form Definition (Cypresslogic Systems) - Proprietary form definition file for ObjectView Professional Edition, a legacy Windows database forms tool; effectively dead software with no modern user base.
Programs that open OFD files
Windows4 apps
Founder OFD Reader (方正OFD阅读器)
Free Download and install; double-click the .ofd file to open. Developed by Founder Technology (a major OFD standard contributor).
Foxit PDF Reader (with OFD plugin)
Free Install Foxit PDF Reader, then install the OFD plugin from Foxit; OFD files open directly.
WPS Office
Freemium WPS Office (Chinese version) supports OFD natively. Open via File > Open or double-click.
Suwell OFD Reader (数科OFD阅读器)
Free Install Suwell OFD Reader; open .ofd files directly. Supports electronic seal verification. 
macOS2 apps
Linux1 app
libofd (open-source C++ library)
Open-source Developer library for parsing OFD; build viewer from source. 
Android1 app
Technical details
deep spec| Container format | ZIP archive (DEFLATE-compressed entries) |
| Entry point file | OFD.xml at ZIP root |
| Layout model | Absolute-coordinate fixed layout (not reflowable) |
| Character encoding | UTF-8 XML |
| MIME type | application/ofd |
| Digital signature algorithm | SM2 (Chinese national crypto, ECDSA-equivalent) |
| Encryption algorithm | SM4 (Chinese national symmetric cipher, AES-equivalent) |
| Electronic seal standard | 电子印章 (e-seal) per GM/T 0031 |
| Page description | Per-page Document.xml + individual Pages/P_n.xml files |
| Resource directory | Fonts, images, and colour profiles in Res/ |
| Signature format | XMLDSig with SM2/SM3 algorithms |
| Associated platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Government mandate | Required for Chinese electronic VAT invoices since 2021 |
| Inspection method | Rename to .zip to browse internal file structure |
| Released | 2016 (GB/T 33190-2016, released October 13, 2016) |
| Latest version | GB/T 33190-2020 (revised standard, 2020) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | codeofchina.com |
OFD conversions
Community Q&A
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