CFB File – What is .cfb file and how to open it?

CFB File Format

A Compound Binary File (CFB) is a file format developed by Microsoft to store structured data as a collection of data streams and storages. It is used in various Microsoft applications, including Microsoft Office and Windows.

CFB files consist of a header followed by a sequence of sectors. The header contains information about the file, including its size, the number of sectors, and the sector size. The sectors contain the data streams and storages.

Key Characteristics of CFB Files:

• Data Streams: CFB files can contain multiple data streams, each of which stores a specific type of data. For example, an Office document might have a data stream for the text, a data stream for the images, and a data stream for the formatting.
• Storages: CFB files can also contain storages, which are directories that can contain other data streams and storages. This allows for hierarchical organization of data within a CFB file.
• Object Linking and Embedding (OLE): CFB files are often used to store OLE objects, which allow other applications to access and embed data into a document.

CFB files are a powerful and flexible file format that provides a structured way to store and organize data. They are commonly used in Microsoft Office applications and Windows, making them a widely-supported format in the business and productivity software ecosystem.

Overview of Compound Binary File (CFB)

A Compound Binary File (CFB) is a file format developed by Microsoft that is used to store compound documents. A compound document is a single file that can contain multiple types of data, such as text, images, and spreadsheets. CFB files are typically used to store Microsoft Office documents, such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations.

Opening CFB Files

There are several ways to open CFB files. One way is to use the free Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack. This pack includes a set of converters that allow you to open and edit CFB files in older versions of Microsoft Office. Another way to open CFB files is to use a third-party application. There are several third-party applications available that allow you to open and edit CFB files, such as OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice.

Compound Binary Format (CBF)

Compound Binary Format (CBF) is a proprietary file format developed by Microsoft. It was used from Windows 95 to Windows XP to store data in a structured and hierarchical manner. A .CFB file contains a collection of data items, each of which can be a file or folder. The data items are arranged in a tree structure, with the root item being the .CFB file itself.

CBF files are typically used to store data that is complex or requires a hierarchical structure. For example, Microsoft Office documents often use the .CFB format to store their data. The .CFB format is also used by some Windows applications, such as Microsoft Outlook, to store data.

Structure of a CFB File

A .CFB file consists of a header, a set of sectors, and a set of FAT sectors. The header contains information about the file, such as the file size, the number of sectors, and the number of FAT sectors. The sectors are the data blocks that store the file data. The FAT sectors are the blocks that store the file allocation table (FAT). The FAT is a table that maps the sectors to the data blocks that they contain.

Other Extensions