What is the OSD file format?
.osd files are plain XML software package descriptors defined by the Open Software Description format, jointly submitted to the W3C on August 11, 1997, by Microsoft Corporation and Marimba Incorporated. The specification was published as a W3C NOTE - a submission for consideration, not a formal Recommendation - and was never widely adopted outside Microsoft's own SoftGrid and later App-V 4.x product line.
An .osd file's root element is <SOFTPKG>, carrying NAME and VERSION attributes. Child elements list <CODEBASE> URLs pointing to the installation payload and declare <OS>, <OSVERSION>, and <PROCESSOR> prerequisites. In SoftGrid and App-V 4.x deployments, additional elements describe the virtual application environment: virtual registry paths, file system mappings, and protocol handler assignments.
Files are small (typically 1 KB to 20 KB), encoded in UTF-8 or ISO-8859-1, and fully human-readable in any text editor. The format carries no binary data and requires no special viewer.
Microsoft App-V 5.0 (2012) dropped OSD-based streaming in favour of the unified .appv package format, making .osd files obsolete for all practical purposes. Files encountered today are remnants from App-V 4.x or SoftGrid deployments of roughly 2007-2014.
The original W3C specification is available at https://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-OSD. Any editor capable of handling XML can open and edit .osd files without special tooling.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWOSD files are passive XML descriptors - they contain metadata and URLs, not executable code. Opening an OSD file in a text/XML editor is safe. In an App-V deployment context, an OSD pointing to a malicious payload URL is a concern - but the risk is in the payload fetched by App-V client, not in the OSD file itself.
Format details
in a nutshell- On-Screen Display configuration (various hardware/software) - Some monitor and TV software (e.g. display calibration tools) use .osd for OSD overlay settings - unrelated to the Microsoft/W3C format.
Programs that open OSD files
Windows4 apps
Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.x Management Server
Paid Import the OSD file into App-V 4.x server console to define a virtual application for streaming to clients. Legacy product - mainstream support ended 2014.
Notepad++ (or any text editor)
Built-in OSD is plain XML - open in Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code or any text editor to read and edit the package descriptor. 
Visual Studio Code
Open-source Open the .osd file and set language to XML for syntax highlighting and formatting. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Plain XML software package descriptor |
| Encoding | UTF-8 or ISO-8859-1 plain text |
| Root element | `<SOFTPKG>` with `NAME` and `VERSION` attributes |
| Key child elements | `<CODEBASE>`, `<IMPLEMENTATION>`, `<OS>`, `<OSVERSION>`, `<PROCESSOR>`, `<ABSTRACT>` |
| App-V/SoftGrid extensions | Additional elements for virtual registry paths, file system mappings, and protocol handler assignments |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 20 KB |
| Encryption | None (base spec); payloads referenced by `<CODEBASE>` may be independently code-signed |
| MIME type | `text/xml` (primary); `application/xml` (alternate) |
| Specification origin | W3C NOTE submitted August 11, 1997 by Microsoft and Marimba; never became a W3C Recommendation |
| App-V usage era | Microsoft SoftGrid and App-V 4.x virtual application packages (approximately 2007-2014) |
| Superseded by | Microsoft App-V 5.0 `.appv` package format (2012), which unified all package data into a single file |
| Released | August 11, 1997 (joint W3C NOTE by Microsoft and Marimba) |
| Latest version | OSD v1.0 (1997 spec, never updated); App-V 4.x OSD variant used through ~2014 |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.w3.org |
OSD conversions
Community Q&A
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