What is the PRZ file format?
.prz is the native binary presentation format of Lotus Freelance Graphics, a slideshow and business graphics application that was part of the IBM Lotus SmartSuite productivity suite. The format was introduced with Freelance Graphics for Windows 1.0 in 1991, originally developed by Lotus Software (which had acquired the product from Graphic Communications Inc. in 1986).
A .prz file stores a complete presentation: slides with text, vector graphics, layout metadata, and embedded images - functioning as Lotus's proprietary counterpart to .ppt files. Optional password protection was available in some versions.
The format is entirely proprietary and binary. Its internal structure is suspected to use OLE2/Compound File Binary Format (CFBF), though this has not been formally confirmed. No public specification was ever released, and the format is not natively readable by LibreOffice Impress or Microsoft PowerPoint.
IBM withdrew SmartSuite from marketing in June 2013 and ended all support in September 2014, declaring no successor product. This makes .prz an effectively orphaned format. The only practical route to access content is through the discontinued Lotus Freelance Graphics 9.8 itself or legacy conversion utilities.
File sizes vary widely - from 100 KB to 20 MB - depending on the number of slides and embedded images.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPRZ is a legacy presentation format with no known macro/script execution capability. No current security risk documented. Main risk is loss of data due to format obsolescence.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open PRZ files
Windows1 app
Lotus Freelance Graphics 9.8
Paid Install legacy Lotus SmartSuite 9.8 on a Windows XP/7 VM, then double-click the PRZ file. IBM no longer sells or supports this software. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary, little-endian |
| Container | Proprietary binary (OLE2/CFBF structure suspected, unconfirmed) |
| Typical file size | 100 KB - 20 MB |
| Encryption | Optional password protection (version-dependent) |
| Magic bytes | None documented publicly |
| Content | Slides with text, vector graphics, embedded images, and layout metadata |
| Platform support | Windows, OS/2 |
| Final commercial version | Lotus Freelance Graphics 9.8 (SmartSuite 9.8, 2002) |
| IBM SmartSuite EOL | Marketing withdrawn June 2013; all support ended September 2014 |
| Successor format | None - IBM announced no replacement for SmartSuite |
| Third-party compatibility | Not natively readable by LibreOffice Impress or Microsoft PowerPoint |
| MIME type | application/x-freelance |
| Contemporary competitor | Microsoft PowerPoint .ppt / .pptx |
| Status | Orphaned legacy format - requires discontinued Freelance Graphics to open |
| Released | 1991 (Freelance Graphics for Windows 1.0) |
| Latest version | Lotus Freelance Graphics 9.8 (SmartSuite 9.8, 2002) |
PRZ conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about PRZ files.
