What is the PFD file format?
.pfd files are native process flow diagram files created by Micrografx Optimal (also known as Optima), a process modeling application developed by Micrografx of Dallas, Texas. The format stores complete process diagrams in a proprietary binary container, including process entities, decision nodes, data flows, connectors, text labels, and layout metadata.
Micrografx was acquired by Corel Corporation in 1996, and the Optimal product line was subsequently licensed to iGrafx LLC, which continued it as iGrafx Process. The Windows desktop application remained the primary tool for opening and editing .pfd files throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s. As of the mid-2020s, iGrafx has transitioned to a cloud-based platform called Process360 Live; the legacy desktop application that reads .pfd files is no longer the flagship product.
The .pfd format is entirely proprietary with no published specification or documented magic bytes, and is identified solely by its file extension. For interoperability with other diagramming tools, export to .VSD (Visio) was the typical path, though conversion options remain limited. Within the iGrafx ecosystem, the current successor format is .igx, used by iGrafx Process360. File sizes typically range from 50 KB to several megabytes depending on diagram complexity.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPassive vector diagram file; no executable code. No known security issues.
Format details
in a nutshell- PrintFarm Document (various) - PFD extension is also used by some print workflow and prepress applications for job/print flow data files; unrelated to iGrafx.
Programs that open PFD files
Windows1 app
iGrafx Process (legacy desktop)
Paid File → Open, select .pfd. Contact iGrafx (igrafx.com) for license and installer - legacy desktop product not prominently listed on current site. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary process flow diagram |
| Developer | Micrografx (Optimal product); licensed to iGrafx LLC post-1996 |
| Encoding | Binary, little-endian (Windows-native application) |
| Platform | Windows only |
| Typical file size | 50 KB - 5 MB |
| Diagram entities | Process nodes, decision shapes, data flows, connectors, text labels, layout metadata |
| Magic bytes | None documented; identified by file extension and application association |
| Specification | Proprietary and unpublished; no public format documentation |
| Successor format | .igx (iGrafx Process360) |
| Historical lineage | Micrografx Optimal → Corel acquisition (1996) → iGrafx LLC license |
| Current support status | Legacy; iGrafx flagship product is now cloud-based Process360 Live |
| Released | late 1990s (Micrografx Optimal product era) |
PFD conversions
Community Q&A
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