CAF File

What are CAF files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CAF 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 CAF files.

What is a CAF file?

CAF files have multiple uses, and Apple Core Audio is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Apple Core Audio File

The .caf file extension is used for a proprietary audio file format, also known as Apple Core Audio Format. The CAF file format was developed by Apple, Inc. for the Apple QuickTime framework.

These .caf files contain digital audio data that has been saved with 64-bit file offset encoding specifications. High-resolution recorded audio data can be stored in these CAF files.

This audio file format also supports high-quality playback, extensive audio editing applications, and larger than usual file sizes. In addition, unlike other audio file formats with file size limits of around 15 minutes or 4Gb of audio, these .caf files can store recorded audio data worth years of playback.

A .caf file can store any audio data in any number of channels. This file format also supports storing auxiliary data like text annotations, captions, and markers.

How to open CAF files

We have identified six CAF openers that are compatible with this specific type of CAF file.

Programs that open Apple Core Audio files

Last updated: August 25, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CAF

While Apple Core Audio File is a popular type of CAF-file, we know of 5 different uses of the .CAF file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Cal3D Animation File

Cal3D Animation File stores character movement data created with the Cal3D skeletal animation library. It holds all the keyframes defining how each bone of the character moves over time for a particular animation. This includes both translations (movement) and rotations (orientation) relative to each bone's parent. The animation duration and how many bones (tracks) are animated are included so it knows its time span and what to animate. Cal3D writes these files via exporters from modeling tools; the library reads them at runtime to animate models based on this data.

Each animation file groups animation into tracks - one per animated bone. Inside each track are keyframes, each specifying a timestamp, a relative position (translation), and a relative orientation (rotation) to the parent bone. During playback, the Cal3D library interpolates between keyframes to create smooth motion. Animations can be flagged as compressed (tracks stored in a compact form) or uncompressed. The version of the format is recorded so that older or newer file versions can be distinguished. The animation files are binary; Cal3D also supports an XML-based alternative (.xaf) that expresses the same data in a human-readable text form.

Technical detail: files begin with a magic header of the four ASCII characters "CAF" followed by a null byte (bytes 0x43 0x41 0x46 0x00) at offset zero.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested ten different CAF openers which you will find listed below.

Cathy Catalog File

We know that one CAF format is Cathy Catalog File. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Core Audio Format

Core Audio Format is a container developed by Apple for storing and transporting digital audio data. It is used in macOS and iOS, created by Apple's Core Audio system, and supports a wide variety of audio codecs and metadata. It is designed to be very flexible: older formats are limited to 4-gigabyte sizes, but this one supports much larger file sizes and is able to handle high resolution audio.

This format is written by audio-recording, editing or exporting tools that use Apple's Core Audio APIs. It is read by playback, audio processing, and editing software that implement those APIs. Audio data types include uncompressed linear PCM with various sample rates, bit depths (such as 16, 24, 32 bits), integer or floating point, big- or little-endian, and compressed formats such as AAC or Apple Lossless. Metadata chunks can describe artists, regions, markers, as well as encoding application, album, genre, etc.

The file begins with a CAF file header identifying the file type using the ASCII characters caff in the first four bytes. One required chunk immediately following the header is the Audio Description chunk - identified by the four-character code "desc" - which defines key parameters such as sample rate, number of channels, format ID, and bits per channel.

PS Vita SCECAF Crash Report

We know that one CAF format is PS Vita SCECAF Crash Report. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of CAF files. Remember, different programs may use CAF 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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