What is the WRF file format?
Files with the .wrf extension store audio and video recordings saved in a proprietary binary format developed by Cisco Systems for the WebEx service. .wrf files capture locally recorded meeting data, including:
- videoconferencing sessions
- shared work sessions
- training sessions
- webinars
- screen sharing and whiteboard sessions
Using the WebEx Recorder application, participants can record and save sessions directly to their local disk. .wrf files can also be uploaded to the Cisco WebEx website and shared with other users via content URLs.
Playback requires Cisco WebEx Player (also called Network Recording Player), available for Windows and macOS. The same tool includes a converter that exports .wrf recordings to .WMV format for compatibility with standard video editors.
The .ARF (Advanced Recording Format) is a related but distinct Cisco format used for network-based recordings stored on WebEx servers rather than locally. Unlike .arf, which can be converted to .MP4 and other formats via the WebEx Recording Converter, direct conversion between .wrf and .arf is not supported. Cisco has progressively shifted toward .arf and MP4-based cloud recordings as WebEx migrated to its cloud platform, making .wrf a legacy format associated with older on-premises or local recording workflows.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWWRF files are passive recordings and low-risk in themselves. The real cautions are practical: download the WebEx Player and converter only from Cisco's official help.webex.com pages - third-party 'WRF player/converter' sites are often adware or scams. Because the official tools are unsupported legacy software, convert important recordings to a standard format (WMV/MP4) now so you're not stranded if the player stops working on a future OS.
Format details
in a nutshell- ThinkFree Write Document - An old word-processor document from the ThinkFree Office suite also used the .wrf extension; unrelated to WebEx and now effectively obsolete.
Programs that open WRF files
Windows2 apps
Cisco WebEx Player (Network Recording Player)
Free Install the WebEx Player and open the .wrf to play it. (Legacy/unsupported - kept only for old recordings.)
Cisco WebEx Recording Converter (WRF2WMV)
Free Convert the .wrf to .wmv, then play in any media player. Windows-only; the recommended way to future-proof a WRF. 
macOS1 app
Cisco WebEx Player (macOS)
Free Install the Mac WebEx Player to view the WRF. Note: the WRF->WMV converter is Windows-only, so converting on a Mac isn't possible. Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Cisco Systems (WebEx) |
| Format type | Proprietary binary container for client-side local meeting recordings |
| Content | Synchronized audio, video, and screen capture streams from WebEx sessions |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Magic bytes | None publicly documented; identified by file extension and the WebEx toolchain, not by a header signature |
| Codec/encoding | Proprietary Cisco encoding; internal structure is closed and not publicly documented |
| Recording type | Client-side local recording stored on the participant's own machine, not on WebEx servers |
| Platform support | Windows (primary); macOS supported via legacy Cisco WebEx Player |
| Playback software | Cisco WebEx Player (Network Recording Player) - required; not playable in standard media players |
| Conversion output | Exportable to WMV via the built-in WebEx Recording Converter (WRF2WMV tool) |
| Relation to ARF | ARF (Advanced Recording Format) is Cisco's server-side recording counterpart; direct WRF↔ARF conversion is not supported |
| Web-playback dependency | Early browser-based playback relied on Adobe Flash Player, which reached end-of-life in December 2020 |
| Format status | Legacy; Cisco WebEx shifted to MP4-based cloud recordings after transitioning to a cloud-first platform |
| Interoperability | Not playable in VLC, Windows Media Player, or other standard players without prior conversion to WMV or MP4 |
| Released | Early 2000s (Cisco/WebEx Recorder; predates the cloud .arf format) |
| Specification | help.webex.com |
WRF conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about WRF files.
