Opening VDF Files

The VDF file type is primarily associated with Steam.

VDF	File extension: VDF
	File type:	configuration file

What is a VDF file

VDF files mostly belong to Steam. VDF files store key-value data used primarily by Steam.
These files work as configuration scripts and data files. They control game installation details, hold user settings, and keep account information. They use a plain text format with a structured layout that Valve calls the Valve Data Format.
Use cases include:

Game Installer Scripts: Control installation steps for games.

User & System Configuration: Save settings for the Steam client and its games.

Account Data Storage: Hold your Steam account details. See more at Steam.

Controller Configuration: Store mappings for Steam Controller setups. More discussions can be found at Steam Community.

Mod & Game Data Files: Some games (for example, Gothic II mods) use VDF files for internal data.

FilExt.com tip: Many VDF files follow the key-value structure detailed on the Valve Developer Wiki.

How to open VDF files

You need a suitable software like Steam to open a VDF 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 VDF file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a VDF file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online VDF Text Viewer

Choose your .vdf file to analyze

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Programs that open and convert VDF files:

Steam
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. VDF files are often referred to as Steam settings because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
AntiVir (Virus Definition) by Avira GmbH
The identifying characters used for this association are - Hex: 56 69 72 75 73 20 44 61 74 61 62 61 73 65 20 46 69 6C 65 0D 0A 56 65 72 73 69 6F 6E 3A 20, ASCII: Virus Database File Version: .
VAPOR (VAPOR) by the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Scientific Computing Division in collaboration with U.C. Davis and Ohio State University
VDF files are used by VAPOR - Visualization and Analysis Platform for Ocean, Atmosphere, and Solar Researchers to store metadata in an encoded XML format. The VDF file is part of the VDC - VAPOR Data Collection which includes the field data. The metadata found in a VDF file describes the data in the field data file. This file format is classified as XML.
Versa Check (Database) by G7 Productivity Systems, Inc.
VersaCheck is a financial tool that can help you manage your money, track accounts and transactions, and write, send and receive checks. This file format is classified as Database.
Vexira Anti-virus Virus Definition File
VirtualDub (Filter Plug-in) by Avery Lee
VirtualDub is a video capture/processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms (98/NT/2000/XP), licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The identifying characters used for this association are - Hex: 4D 5A, ASCII: MZ.
Visionary Deposition Viewer (Database) by Visionary Legal Technologies
Visionary 7 is an all in one litigation software solution that combines powerful litigation management and trial presentation tools with an efficient and easy to use interface. Visionary 7 helps manage documents, transcripts, multi-media, videotaped depositions and other key elements of a case. The software is free; there is a charge for contracted services. This file format is classified as Database.
Webcd Virtual Driver Plug-ins File

VDF file format:

To find out what program is needed to open VDF files, you need to determine the file format. A file format is determined by the file extension and signature, so JPEG images have the extension .jpg and the first bytes in the file are ÿØÿ. If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. So you need a detailed analysis of a file to find out the format and the associated program. Below is our analysis of the VDF files:

VDF is a very common file type and is used by a few programs, each with its own file format. The two most popular formats are as follows:

40% of all VDF files are associated with Steam install script. The contents of these files are easily readable with a text editor. VDF files are between 390 bytes and 9 KB in size. The file type is old but is used even today. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as "InstallScript", INSTALLDIR, Software, Steam, Valve, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, "Run Process", "process 1", Apps and "HasRunKey". A usual file name is InstallScript.vdf or config.vdf. Such files sometimes refer to script, install, installer, message and runl.
15% of all VDF files start with the bytes "steam_autocloud.vdf" crucial for this file format. The content consists of readable text data, which can be read using a text editor. The files are on average 52 bytes in size and range from 51 bytes to 52 bytes. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as "accountid" and "steam_autocloud.vdf". A usual file name is steam_autocloud.vdf. These files are often associated with autocloud and steam.

All other VDF files (45%) have no consistent format, often e.g. VirtualDub Filter Plug-in, Avira AntiVir Virus Database, Source, GZIP, users, controller, User, Filters, coplay and Gothic. The category is coplay, servers, master, dialog, overlay, server, gdata, hist or info. If you want to find out what your VDF file contains, drag and drop it onto this page.

Technical Data for VDF File Extension

File classification:

Settings

Identifier:

Hex: 56 69 72 75 73 20 44 61 74 61 62 61 73 65 20 46 69 6C 65 0D 0A 56 65 72 73 69 6F 6E 3A 20, ASCII: Virus Database File Version: (provided by TrID database)

Related files:

acf, vpk, fch, old, vfd, exe, sav, vdl, vpf, rar, dll, zip, txt, res, vvf, vbf, fwl, torrent, wdf, json, vda, vdp, avp, cfg, ini, xml, log

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: filevdf
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\AGI\STK 6.0\bin\AGIViewer.exe %1

a vdf configuration file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with VDF files

Associate the VDF file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open configuration files. Because only the current version supports the latest VDF file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the manufacturer website after an available Steam update.
To make sure that your VDF file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
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