What is the PRV file format?
A .prv file is a Vue Preview File - a small, auto-generated thumbnail image created by E-on Software (now part of Bentley Systems) as part of the Vue 3D landscape-rendering suite. Vue silently produces a .prv file whenever it needs a preview picture of a scene, plant, object, material, or atmosphere, so the application's Open and Browse dialogs can display a recognizable thumbnail rather than a generic icon.
The format is proprietary and binary, with no published magic-byte signature or public specification. Internally it stores a low-resolution preview bitmap - typically around 128 × 128 pixels at 24-bit color depth - compressed to keep file sizes small, usually a few kilobytes to low hundreds of kilobytes. One .prv file is normally kept per folder alongside the content it previews, such as a .vue scene file or a .vob Vue object.
Because .prv files are purely a cache artifact, they are completely safe to delete. Vue regenerates them automatically the next time it browses the folder. They carry no scene data and cannot be opened or edited in any standalone image viewer. Users occasionally remove them to reclaim disk space or to force Vue to rebuild stale previews. The file tracks the version of Vue that created it and is not reliably interchangeable between significantly different Vue releases.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPRV files are inert preview images generated locally by Vue; they contain no executable code and pose no inherent risk. They are safe to delete - Vue regenerates them. The only caution is the usual one: do not run anything claiming to be a "PRV opener/converter" from untrusted download portals.
Format details
in a nutshell- Apple ClarisWorks/AppleWorks document - Legacy ClarisWorks/AppleWorks files occasionally carried a .prv extension on classic Mac OS; obsolete and unrelated to Vue.
- WinAmp / generic 'preview' files - Various apps have used .prv for generic preview snippets; niche and unrelated.
Programs that open PRV files
Windows1 app
Vue (E-on Software / Bentley)
Paid PRV files are used by Vue automatically - you don't open them directly; open the matching .vue scene in Vue instead. 
macOS1 app
Vue (E-on Software / Bentley)
Paid Same as Windows: Vue manages .prv previews itself; open the .vue scene to see the actual content. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary thumbnail cache |
| Developer | E-on Software (acquired by Bentley Systems) |
| Purpose | Auto-generated browse-dialog preview for Vue scenes, plants, objects, materials, and atmospheres |
| Encoding | Binary |
| Compression | Internal; stores a compressed low-resolution preview bitmap |
| Color depth | 24-bit |
| Thumbnail dimensions | Typically around 128 × 128 pixels (browser preview resolution) |
| Typical file size | A few KB to low hundreds of KB |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Associated platforms | Windows, macOS |
| Magic bytes | None published; no stable public byte signature |
| Related formats | .vue (scene), .vob (object), .atm (atmosphere) |
| Regenerability | Vue auto-regenerates the file on next folder browse if deleted |
| Internal versioning | Format version tracks the Vue release that created it |
| Scene data | Contains no scene geometry, materials, or render data - preview image only |
| Released | Late 1990s (with E-on Vue d'Esprit) |
| Latest version | Tracks the installed Vue version (Vue 2023/xStream era) |
| Specification | info.e-onsoftware.com |
PRV conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about PRV files.
