What is the VDPROJ file format?
.vdproj is a plain-text Visual Studio Setup and Deployment project file that drives the generation of Windows Installer .msi packages. Unlike most Visual Studio project formats, which use XML, .vdproj uses a proprietary nested curly-brace property bag syntax to describe all aspects of the installer: product name, version, upgrade code GUID, file destinations, registry entries, prerequisites, merge modules, and custom actions.
The format was introduced with Visual Studio 6.0 and became widely used from VS 2002 through VS 2010. In Visual Studio 2012, Microsoft dropped built-in .vdproj support. The free Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Projects extension (published by Microsoft) restores this capability for VS 2013 through VS 2022/2025.
Building a .vdproj project produces an .msi installer package and an optional Setup.exe bootstrapper.
A significant practical limitation is source control: .vdproj files are dense with GUIDs and auto-generated properties, making diffs and merges in Git or other VCS tools error-prone.
Modern alternatives include:
- WiX Toolset (
.wixproj) - open-source, XML-based, version-control friendly - MSIX Packaging Tool - for modern Windows app distribution
- Visual Studio Installer Projects extension - for maintaining existing
.vdprojworkflows
The format has been effectively frozen since VS 2010 and receives no new feature development. .vdproj files can be opened in any text editor for inspection.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWVDPROJ is a text project file - it contains no executable code itself. The MSI it produces warrants normal installer scrutiny. Custom action entries in vdproj could reference malicious executables if the project source is untrusted.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open VDPROJ files
Windows1 app
Microsoft Visual Studio (with Installer Projects extension)
Free Install the 'Microsoft Visual Studio Installer Projects 2022' extension, then open the .sln containing the vdproj. Right-click project > Build to generate the MSI. Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Microsoft Corporation |
| Encoding | Plain text (UTF-8 or ANSI in older files) |
| Container | Proprietary nested curly-brace key/value property bag (not XML, not JSON) |
| Output artifact | MSI installer package and optional Setup.exe bootstrapper |
| Typical file size | 5 KB - 200 KB |
| Built-in VS support | VS 2002-2010 (built-in); VS 2012+ requires Microsoft Installer Projects extension |
| GUID density | Heavy use of GUIDs for UpgradeCode, ComponentCode, and ProductCode fields |
| Platform | Windows only |
| Superseded by | WiX Toolset (.wixproj) and MSIX packaging for new projects |
| Source control challenge | GUID-heavy property bags make diffs and branch merges error-prone |
| Format status | Frozen since VS 2010; no new features added |
| Released | Visual Studio 6.0 era, widely used from VS 2002 |
| Latest version | No versioned spec; format frozen circa VS 2010 (Microsoft dropped built-in support in VS 2012) |
VDPROJ conversions
Community Q&A
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