Opening a PAD File

The PAD file type is primarily associated with Act!.

PAD	File extension: PAD
	File type:	database pointer

What is a PAD file?

PAD files mostly belong to Act! by Act!. A PAD file is a pointer to an ADF or ALF database file created by Act! customer relationship management software. This file is saved as XML-encoded text. A different PAD file contains source code documentation for a project created with Visual Expert code quality analysis and documentation software. PAD is also the filename extension of a padstack or a netlist created by PADS integrated electronic system design and automation software. A netlist contains information about design units, connections, components etc. Korg and Yamaha arrangers and pianos like the Pa1000 and PSR-S910 use data saved in PAD files.

How to open a PAD file

You need a suitable software like Act! to open a PAD file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your PAD file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a PAD file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online PAD Text Viewer

Choose your .pad file to analyze

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Online File Viewer

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Programs that open and convert PAD files:

Act! by Act!
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. PAD files are often referred to as Act! miscs because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Digital Paper (configuration) by Sony
Digital Paper is a program used to synchronize documents between a computer and a DPT-RP1 or DPT-CP1 e-book reader/writer device. These devices are called Digital Paper. Their configuration are saved in PAD files which can be accessed through the Digital Paper desktop software. This file format is classified as Settings. Related links: Sony Digital Paper DPTS1
IrfanView (scanned image) by Irfan Skiljan
IrfanView is a lightweight image viewer and editor for Windows operating system. It can open a PAD file containing a scanned image/document saved in JPG format. This file format is classified as Raster Image.
Pa1000 (data) by Korg
Pa1000 is a high performance music arranger manufactured and marketed by Korg. It uses some data saved in a PAD file. This file format is classified as Data.
PADS (netlist) by Siemens
PADS is an integrated electronic system design and automation environment. It uses a PAD file to save the padstacks or netlist of a printed circuit board. This file format is classified as Misc.
PSR-S910 (data) by Yamaha
PSR-S910 is a music arranger workstation manufactured by Yamaha. It uses a PAD file to save data in MIDI format. This file format is classified as Audio.
Telemate Keypad Definition
Top Secret Crypto (true one time pad data) by TAN$TAAFL Software
Top Secret Crypto is a discontinued document, communication, and email signing and encryption software. It uses a PAD file to save true one time pad data. This file format is classified as Data.
Visual Expert (source code documentation) by Novalys
Visual Expert is a static code quality analysis and documentation software. It uses a PAD file to save source code documentation for a software project. This file format is classified as Data. Related links: Refresh automatically the analysis of a Visual Expert project

PAD file format:

Each file has a definite file format, that is, how the stored data is arranged in the file. The first characters in a file identify the file format, for example, HTML files start with the bytes <html>. However, different programs can use the same file extension. Furthermore, a file extension can be renamed incorrectly and double-clicking on it will then display an error when it is opened. Exact knowledge of the format is therefore important in order to solve problems occurring in files. Our evaluation of the PAD files is as follows:

An PAD file covers a large number of different file formats. The two most common formats are as follows:

15% of all PAD files internally utilize the MIDI file format. These files contain neither text nor words, but only data. The files are on average 1 KB in size and range from 570 bytes to 3 KB. The file type was primarily used more than 10 years ago. The files contain the following words: MThd, MTrk, CM0000, RP0000, 4N1Pad1, 4N2Pad2 and 4N3Pad3.
15% of all PAD files use the same file format, which can be identified by the letters "01 00 01 14 00" at the beginning. They consist of unreadable binary data. Most of these files are 2 KB to 15 KB in size. Several words can almost always be found in the files, e.g. KORF. A common filename is USER01.PAD or USER04.PAD. Such files are related to bank.

All other PAD files (70%) have no consistent format, the following 6 formats can be found: XML, .NET and PADS. The category is padding or frequency. Just click the "Choose your .pad file to analyze" button on this page to find out what your PAD file is.

Technical Data for PAD File Extension

File classification:

Misc

Related files:

1, 2, pahd, 3, pade, 85 or above____, 6, 5, 4, 10, 7, 9, 11, padding, padfile, pads, 8, 15, pads1d, padx, rep, alf, rem

Mime type:

application/octet-stream

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: Act!7.Database
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACT\ACT for Win 7\Act7.exe %1

ProgramID: PAD.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\printFIT\VISITE~1\BC05-L.exe

a pad database pointer is a special file format by Act! and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with PAD files

Associate the PAD file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open database pointers. Because only the current version supports the latest PAD file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the Act! manufacturer website after an available Act! update.
To make sure that your PAD file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .PAD file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.