FFO File – What is .ffo file and how to open it?
FFO File Extension
Find Fast Document Properties Cache – file format by Microsoft
FFO is a file extension associated with the Find Fast Document Properties Cache, a feature in Microsoft Office that stores metadata about documents to enable faster searching and retrieval. It contains information such as document title, author, and keywords.
Understanding FFO Files: The Find Fast Document Properties Cache
FFO (Find Fast Document Properties Cache) files are an integral part of Microsoft’s operating system, particularly in the context of searching and indexing. They serve as a cache for frequently accessed document properties, such as file size, creation date, and author information. The purpose of FFO files is to enhance the speed and efficiency of file searches and indexing by storing commonly retrieved document properties in a readily accessible format.
When a user performs a search or triggers the indexing process within Windows, the system checks for the presence of an FFO file associated with the target document. If an FFO file exists, the system retrieves the cached document properties from it, thereby eliminating the need to extract these properties directly from the document itself. This streamlined approach significantly reduces the time required to perform searches and updates the index, resulting in a noticeable improvement in user experience.
FFO File Properties
An FFO file is a Find Fast Document Properties Cache file created by Microsoft. This file contains a cache of document properties that are used by the Windows Search service to quickly search for files on your computer. The FFO file is typically located in the following directory:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\DocumentDB\FFO
Opening FFO Files
FFO files cannot be opened directly by users. They are only used by the Windows Search service to improve search performance. If you need to view the properties of a file, you can do so by right-clicking on the file and selecting “Properties.” This will open a dialog box that displays the file’s properties, including its name, size, type, and location.
Additional Notes
FFO files are not essential for the operation of Windows Search. However, they can improve search performance by caching document properties. If you are experiencing slow search performance, you may want to try rebuilding the FFO file. To do this, open the Command Prompt as an administrator and type the following command:
cd %appdata%\Local\Microsoft\Windows\DocumentDB
del FFO*
This will delete the FFO file and force Windows Search to rebuild it.
FFO File Format
FFO (Find Fast Document Properties Cache) files are proprietary formats developed by Microsoft specifically to enhance the performance of searching and finding properties within Microsoft Office documents. These files contain pre-computed property values and metadata extracted from the document’s main content, such as author names, dates, keywords, and page counts. By storing commonly accessed properties in FFO files, Microsoft Office applications can bypass time-consuming parsing of the entire document, resulting in significantly faster property retrieval.
FFO files are typically created automatically by Office applications when documents are opened or modified. They are not intended to be directly opened or edited by users but are essential for optimizing the search and property access capabilities of Office applications. Moreover, FFO files are often stored alongside the original document, utilizing the same file name with the .FFO extension. This proximity ensures that property information is readily available whenever the document is opened or searched.