What is the VTS file format?
A .vts file is a project or session descriptor created by Intel VTune, Intel's CPU performance profiling tool. The extension dates from the legacy Intel VTune Performance Analyzer era (circa 2002) and continued through the VTune Amplifier XE phase (from ~2011). When Intel rebranded the suite as Intel VTune Profiler in 2019 and made it free in 2020, the project structure shifted away from single .vts descriptor files toward a results-directory layout.
A .vts file stores project-level metadata: the target application path, data-collection configuration, and references to companion performance data files such as .vti, .vtp, and .vtl files. The actual CPU sampling and hardware counter data reside in those separate companion files - the .vts is the connector that ties them together.
The format is proprietary and undocumented; it may be binary or XML depending on the VTune generation. Files from older VTune Analyzer or Amplifier versions may not open correctly in modern VTune Profiler builds.
Note: .vts is also the extension used for DVD Video Title Set files - an entirely unrelated format found in DVD disc structures.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWVTS project files are passive metadata/configuration files; they cannot execute code directly. They reference executable paths on the local system, which is expected behavior.
Format details
in a nutshell- DVD Video Title Set - On DVD discs, VTS_XX_Y.VOB/IFO/BUP files are the actual movie segments; the .vts component in filenames refers to Video Title Set groups, not a standalone .vts file.
Programs that open VTS files
Windows1 app
Intel VTune Profiler
Free File → Open Project; browse to .vts file. Note: older .vts files from VTune Analyzer may not open in current VTune Profiler. 
Linux1 app
Intel VTune Profiler (Linux)
Free Available as part of Intel oneAPI toolkit for Linux; open legacy project via GUI. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary or XML project/session descriptor |
| Byte order | Little-endian (Windows-native tool) |
| Typical size | 1 KB - 10 MB (descriptor only; profiling data stored in companion files) |
| Companion files | .vti, .vtp, .vtl (store actual CPU sampling and hardware counter data) |
| Platform support | Windows, Linux, macOS (VTune Profiler is cross-platform since version 2019) |
| Version compatibility | Tied to VTune major release; legacy .vts files from Analyzer/Amplifier era may not open in current Profiler |
| Tool status | Legacy format - VTune Profiler 2019+ uses a results-directory structure rather than a single .vts file |
| Licensing | Intel VTune Profiler has been free (no license required) since 2020 |
| Content stored | Target application path, collection configuration, data-collection settings, references to companion data files |
| Encoding | Undocumented; likely binary or XML depending on VTune generation |
| Product history | VTune Performance Analyzer (2000s) → VTune Amplifier XE (~2011) → VTune Profiler (2019) |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream (no registered MIME type) |
| Released | circa 2002 (Intel VTune Performance Analyzer; product name used since ~1996) |
| Latest version | Intel VTune Profiler 2024 (current; .vts from legacy VTune Amplifier/Analyzer versions) |
| Specification | www.intel.com |
VTS conversions
Community Q&A
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