What is the WDP file format?
A .wdp file is an image encoded in Microsoft's Windows Media Photo format - the original name used when Microsoft introduced the format at WinHEC in April 2006. Later in 2006 it was renamed HD Photo (extension .hdp), then standardised in 2009 as JPEG XR (ISO/IEC 29199-2). The .wdp, .hdp, and .jxr extensions all identify the identical binary format, sharing the same magic bytes: 49 49 BC 01 - a TIFF-derived little-endian header where II signals little-endian byte order and 0xBC distinguishes it from standard TIFF (which uses 0x2A).
The codec applies a lapped biorthogonal transform with adaptive entropy coding, achieving roughly twice the compression efficiency of JPEG at equivalent visual quality. It supports up to 32-bit floating-point channels, enabling HDR, wide-gamut, RGB, CMYK, and alpha in both lossy and lossless modes. Windows Vista introduced native OS support via the Windows Imaging Component (WIC).
Despite ISO standardisation, .wdp never achieved broad cross-platform or browser adoption. Modern HDR imaging has moved to HEIC, AVIF, and JPEG XL. .wdp files also appear inside .pptx packages: PowerPoint 2010 and later can store internally optimised images in this format within the ZIP container.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWWDP is an image data format and cannot execute code. Safe to open in trusted viewers. The practical risk is in the conversion step: searching online for 'WDP converter' surfaces ad-heavy download sites and PUP-bundled installers - use XnView MP, IrfanView, or ImageMagick from their official sites instead, or simply rename .wdp to .jxr and use the Windows Photos app.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open WDP files
Windows5 apps
Adobe Photoshop
Paid Open .wdp directly (Photoshop has native WIC-based HD Photo support on Windows) or via File > Open. 
IrfanView
Free Open .wdp with IrfanView + JXR plugin (install all plugins). File > Save As to convert. 
FastPictureViewer Professional
Paid Supports HD Photo/WDP via WIC codec. Niche paid tool; development appears stalled. 
Microsoft Photos
Built-in Double-click the .wdp file - Windows Photos uses the built-in WIC HD Photo codec to display it natively. 
Technical details
deep spec| Format type | HDR-capable raster image, lossy and lossless selectable |
| Container | JPEG XR file format - TIFF-derived Image File Directory (IFD) structure |
| Magic bytes | 49 49 BC 01 ("II" + 0xBC 0x01) at offset 0 |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| Compression | Lapped biorthogonal transform + adaptive entropy coding (JPEG XR codec) |
| Color depth | Up to 128 bpp (32-bit float per channel); supports HDR, wide-gamut, alpha |
| Color spaces | RGB, CMYK, grayscale, YCbCr; wide-gamut and HDR supported |
| Max dimensions | Up to 2^32 × 2^32 pixels per specification |
| MIME type | image/vnd.ms-photo |
| OS support | Windows Vista and later - native codec via Windows Imaging Component (WIC) |
| Related extensions | .hdp (same format, 2006 rename), .jxr (standardised form, ISO/IEC 29199-2:2009) |
| Compression advantage | Approximately 2× better than JPEG at equivalent visual quality |
| Typical file size | 50 KB - several MB; roughly half the size of an equivalent JPEG |
| Released | 2006 (WinHEC 2006 as Windows Media Photo; renamed HD Photo Nov 2006) |
| Latest version | JPEG XR / ISO/IEC 29199-2:2012 (the .wdp extension predates the standard) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
WDP conversions
Community Q&A
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