What is the VIS file format?
.vis files are visibility image files used by legacy versions of Microsoft Flight Simulator to define atmospheric visibility zones in scenery areas. The format appeared around Microsoft Flight Simulator 95 and was also used by Flight Simulator 98 and Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9).
Each .vis file contains configuration data that the simulator reads when loading a scenery area to control how far the virtual atmosphere allows the player to see - representing haze, fog, or clear-sky conditions across a defined geographic region. The file format is proprietary and not publicly documented; some sources describe it as text-based, though this remains unconfirmed.
.vis files belong to a broader family of legacy FS scenery components alongside the compiled .bgl scenery format and .cfg configuration files. None of these older formats are used by modern Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020 or 2024), which replaced the entire legacy scenery pipeline with a new streaming-based system.
Because the format is obsolete, no dedicated editor exists. Files can sometimes be inspected in a plain-text editor such as Notepad++ if the content is ASCII-based, though binary instances will not be human-readable. No third-party conversion tools are actively maintained for .vis files.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWVIS files are passive data files used by Flight Simulator scenery engines. No executable code; no security risk.
Format details
in a nutshell- Visual Importer ETL Script - DB Software Laboratory's Visual Importer ETL tool may use .vis for data import/export scripts - entirely unrelated to Flight Simulator.
- Visio / Generic visualization data - Various niche visualization tools have historically used .vis as a generic extension for visual data exports.
Programs that open VIS files
Windows2 apps
NotePad++ text editor
Built-in Some VIS files may be text-based - open with Notepad to inspect content. 
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9)
Paid VIS files are used automatically by FS2004 when loading scenery add-ons. Not opened directly by end users. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary or plain text (encoding not publicly confirmed) |
| Used by | Microsoft Flight Simulator 95, 98, and 2004 (FS9) |
| Purpose | Defines atmospheric visibility and haze zones within a scenery area |
| Container | Proprietary Microsoft Flight Simulator scenery format |
| Compression | None (likely) |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 100 KB |
| Platform | Windows |
| Related formats | .bgl (compiled scenery), .cfg (configuration), .afcad (airport layout) |
| Magic bytes | Not documented - format has no public specification |
| Status | Obsolete - not supported by Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024 |
| Successor | BGL-based and streaming scenery formats used in MSFS 2020 and 2024 |
| Released | ~1995 (Microsoft Flight Simulator 95) |
VIS conversions
Community Q&A
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