What is the PAD file format?
.pad files implement the Portable Application Description (PAD) standard - an XML format created in 1998 by the Association of Software Professionals (ASP, originally the Association of Shareware Professionals) to automate software submissions to download portals.
The concept is straightforward: a developer publishes a single .pad file on their website, and download directories - such as Softpedia, CNET Download, or Tucows - fetch it automatically to populate software listings with current metadata. A PAD file's <XML_DIZ_INFO> root element holds standardized fields: program name and version, release date, pricing, license type (shareware, freeware, or commercial), file size, OS requirements, short and long description texts, author contact details, and a direct download URL.
The format reached version 4.0 around 2010 as the final official revision. The ASP ceased operations on December 31, 2021, ending formal maintenance. The PAD ecosystem has declined sharply - modern distribution through app stores, package managers, and direct web publishing has largely replaced the shareware-portal model, though some directories such as Softpedia still accept PAD 4.0 submissions.
Note: the .pad extension is also used by unrelated formats, most notably Sage ACT! contact-management data files, which share the extension but have a completely different internal structure.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPAD is a plain XML file with no executable code or macros. Safe to open in any text editor. The only risk is social engineering: a malicious PAD file could link to a malware download URL in its Application_URLs section.
Format details
in a nutshell- ACT! Database Pointer (Swiftpage/Act!) - More common than PAD in modern usage: a .pad file in Act! CRM points to the location of the .adf database file - it is a pointer/redirect, not the database itself.
- Top Secret Crypto Gold One-Time Pad Key File - The db_name format: .pad stores a one-time pad key for the Top Secret Crypto Gold encryption program by TAN$TAAFL Software (Windows freeware, archived).
Programs that open PAD files
Windows3 apps
Sage ACT! / Act! by Swiftpage
Paid ACT! uses .pad as a database pointer - open via the ACT! application; do not open the .pad directly. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Plain XML; UTF-8 or ISO-8859-1 (declared in XML header) |
| Root element | <XML_DIZ_INFO> (all PAD fields nested within this root element) |
| Typical file size | 2 KB - 20 KB |
| PAD spec version field | <PAD_Verion> element (note: intentional typo in original spec preserved for compatibility) |
| Description field lengths | Short description: 45 characters max; long description: 2,000 characters max |
| License type values | Shareware, Freeware, Commercial, Demo, Open Source, GPL, Other |
| Download automation model | Developer hosts one .pad URL; download directories poll it to auto-update software listings |
| MIME type | application/xml |
| Governing body | Association of Software Professionals (ASP); ceased operations December 31, 2021 - spec no longer actively maintained |
| Primary OS target | Windows - format was designed for the Windows shareware distribution ecosystem |
| Extension conflict | .pad is also used by Sage ACT! contact-management data files (entirely different format and structure) |
| File signature | No binary magic bytes - plain XML starting with <?xml version='1.0'?> and <XML_DIZ_INFO> root |
| Released | 1998 (PAD v1.0 by Association of Shareware Professionals) |
| Latest version | PAD 4.0 (circa 2010) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | web.archive.org |
PAD conversions
Community Q&A
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