What is the PD file format?
Files with the .pd extension store data used by Corel Paradox, a relational database management application included with the WordPerfect Office software suite. The format originates from Paradox 1.0 (1985, Ansa Software) and was later maintained by Borland and then Corel Corporation.
Corel Paradox is a relational database management package. .pd files are table files - a less common abbreviated form of the standard Paradox table - and they hold both the table structure and the actual data records. Each file encodes:
- field definitions and their data types,
- fixed-length data records,
- header metadata (record size, format level, field descriptors),
- optional table-level password encryption.
A .pd table never stands alone. Companion files sharing the same base name - a .px primary index, .mb memo/BLOB data, and .xNN/.yNN secondary indexes - must remain in the same directory for the table to be fully accessible.
Unlike what earlier descriptions suggested, .pd files are binary, not plain text, and cannot be meaningfully read in a text editor. They are accessed through the Borland/Corel Database Engine (BDE), which is deprecated on modern Windows. Working with .pd files today typically requires Corel Paradox within WordPerfect Office, LibreOffice Base, or a dedicated Paradox conversion utility.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA Paradox .pd table is passive data and doesn't execute code, so the file itself is low risk. The real hazards are practical: missing companion files (.px/.mb) corrupt the table, and the deprecated Borland Database Engine is flaky on 64-bit Windows - work on copies, never originals. Beware random "PD file opener" download sites; many are adware/PUP wrappers. Use Paradox, LibreOffice, or a reputable converter instead.
Format details
in a nutshell- Macromedia FreeHand drawing - Older FreeHand versions used .pd for vector drawings (now Adobe; FreeHand discontinued 2007).
- Pure Data patch / Stuffit segment - Pure Data (audio programming) uses .pd patches, and .pd has appeared as a Stuffit split-archive part; both are unrelated to the Paradox table the database names here.
Programs that open PD files
Windows4 apps
Microsoft Access
Paid Older Access versions could import Paradox tables; modern Access needs a Paradox ODBC driver. Use to pull data into a modern database. 
Corel Paradox (WordPerfect Office)
Paid Open the table in Paradox (bundled with WordPerfect Office Professional). Keep all companion files (.px/.mb) alongside it.
LibreOffice Base
Open-source Connect to Paradox/dBASE tables (via a JDBC/ODBC Paradox driver) to read and export the data; support varies by format level.
Paradox/dBASE recovery & conversion tools
Paid Third-party utilities (e.g. WhiteTown's PDB-to-* converters) read Paradox tables directly and export to CSV/SQL when Paradox/BDE aren't available. 
Linux1 app
LibreOffice Base
Open-source Use a Paradox/dBASE ODBC driver to open and export the table's data on Linux. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary relational database table |
| Encoding | Binary, little-endian byte order |
| File structure | Binary header (record size, format level, field descriptors) followed by fixed-length data records |
| Table format levels | Levels 3-7 across Paradox versions; level controls available field types and record limits |
| Companion files required | Primary index (.px), memo/BLOB data (.mb), secondary indexes (.xNN/.yNN), validity rules (.val) - same base name, same folder |
| Max fields per table | Up to 255 fields (format-level dependent) |
| Max records per table | Up to approximately 2 billion rows (format-level dependent) |
| Encryption | Optional table-level password encryption using the legacy Paradox scheme |
| Runtime engine | Borland/Corel Database Engine (BDE); deprecated on modern Windows |
| MIME type | application/x-paradox |
| Supported platforms | Windows (current); MS-DOS (historical) |
| Relation to .db extension | Less common abbreviated table-file form; standard Paradox tables use the .db extension |
| Integrity management | No embedded CRC; integrity maintained by BDE and accompanying index files |
| Released | Paradox 1.0 (1985, Ansa Software); .pd is an early/abbreviated table-file form |
| Latest version | Paradox table format level 7 (Paradox 7+); Paradox shipped within WordPerfect Office |
| Specification | www.corel.com |
PD conversions
Community Q&A
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