What is a .CDR file?
CDR is a CorelDRAW document - the native vector-graphics format of CorelDRAW, long a mainstay of sign-making, logos and print design. The same extension is also what macOS Disk Utility calls a CD/DVD master disc image.
- Did you know
- The .cdr format is notoriously closed - even Corel’s own newer versions can struggle with very old files, making it a byword for format lock-in.
- CorelDRAW launched in 1989 as one of the first vector-illustration packages for Windows, and was later sold in a suite alongside Corel Photo-Paint.
- Older .cdr files use a RIFF container like .wav and .avi, while newer CorelDRAW versions switched to a ZIP-based package.
- What Analyser reads
- Identify design-app files: Figma (FIG), Affinity Photo/Designer/Publisher, CorelDRAW (CDR), MediBang Paint (MDP) and Substance. A Figma file has its container read out - format, Kiwi version and chunk sizes - but not its contents: Figma encodes the design with Kiwi, a schema-driven binary format whose schema ships inside the file and changes with the version of Figma that wrote it, so there is no stable structure to walk. Sketch, by contrast, opens in a full viewer - see Sketch above. GIMP (XCF) does too, and Krita (KRA), Procreate and Paint.NET (PDN) show their embedded preview - see Raster art above.
- Depth of analysis
- .CDR is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
- Open a .CDR file
- Drag a .CDR file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.