What is the TVS file format?
A .tvs file is a TeamViewer Video Session recording - a proprietary binary format produced by TeamViewer. The .tvs file stores the video of a remote desktop session captured by TeamViewer, a versatile remote access, control, and administration application that works across Windows and macOS. The file contains both the recorded screen stream and session metadata such as participant information and timing.
Because .tvs uses TeamViewer's own screen-delta compression codec, playback requires the TeamViewer client - use Extras > Play or Manage recorded session or Open recorded session. To share recordings more widely, TeamViewer can export the session to a standard AVI or MP4 video. File sizes range from 1 MB to several GB depending on session length. A related format, .tvc, is used for recordings or connection data in some TeamViewer versions.
Security & safety
RISK: MEDIUMThe .tvs file itself is passive video data, but recorded remote sessions can contain sensitive on-screen information (credentials, personal data) - treat .tvs recordings as confidential and store/share them accordingly. Only download the TeamViewer client from teamviewer.com; avoid third-party 'TVS player/converter' sites, which are often bundleware since no genuine third-party tool can decode the proprietary format.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open TVS files
Windows1 app
TeamViewer
Freemium In TeamViewer use Extras > 'Open recorded session' (or 'Play or convert recorded session'), select the .tvs, and play; from there you can also convert to AVI/MP4. 
macOS1 app
TeamViewer
Freemium Open the TeamViewer client and use the recorded-session playback option to play the .tvs; convert to AVI/MP4 to share. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Binary, little-endian |
| Container type | Proprietary TeamViewer screen-recording container |
| Video codec | TeamViewer proprietary screen-delta compression (not a public codec standard) |
| Audio | Optional session audio captured at TeamViewer's internal sample rate, if in-session audio is enabled |
| Color depth | Inherits the remote display's color depth at time of recording |
| Resolution | Matches the recorded remote desktop resolution; no fixed maximum |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Typical file size | 1 MB to several GB - scales with session length and screen activity level |
| Playback requirement | TeamViewer client only (Windows or macOS); no third-party player can open .tvs natively |
| Export options | Convert to AVI or MP4 from within TeamViewer (Extras > Export session recording) |
| Platform support | Windows, macOS |
| Magic bytes | No public documented signature; proprietary container with no stable user-facing byte sequence |
| Session metadata | Embeds participant info, connection timing, and session identifiers alongside the video stream |
| Related format | .tvc - used in some TeamViewer versions for recordings or connection data |
| Released | with TeamViewer session recording (mid-2000s onward) |
| Latest version | Tied to the TeamViewer client version that recorded it |
| Specification | www.teamviewer.com |
TVS conversions
Community Q&A
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