ACD-ZIP File

What are ACD-ZIP files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an ACD-ZIP file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your ACD-ZIP files.

What is an ACD-ZIP file?

An .ACD-ZIP file is an ACID Pro Project file.

ACID Pro Project files with the .acd-zip extension are project files used by the ACID Pro family of audio production software (originally by Sonic Foundry, later Sony Creative Software, now Magix). These files save complete music/loop-based or multitrack audio projects, embedding not only the project settings - such as track layout, envelopes, effects parameters - but also all the actual audio media used. This makes them self-contained and useful for archiving or sharing projects without worrying about missing external audio files.

When one saves a project in the .acd-zip format, ACID copies the project file plus all media files it uses into a temporary folder. Further editing continues by updating files in that temp location. Re-saving the .acd-zip bundles up the current state, including changes made since the last save. This differs from the standard .acd ACID project format, which stores only references to external media files rather than embedding them.

Technically, .acd-zip files are ZIP archives (compressed file containers) containing at least the ACID project file plus embedded audio media such as WAV or other supported audio clip formats. At the very beginning of the file is the standard Zip magic number (bytes "PK" / 0x504B0304), and internal content may include specific strings like ".ACDPK" and ".WAVPK" indicating inclusion of project data and WAV-formatted media.

How to open ACD-ZIP files

Important: Different programs may use files with the ACD-ZIP file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your ACD-ZIP file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested five different ACD-ZIP openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 16, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of ACD-ZIP files. Remember, different programs may use ACD-ZIP files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

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