CDA File

What are CDA files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CDA 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 CDA files.

What is a CDA file?

CDA files have multiple uses, and CD Audio track shortcut is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

CD Audio track shortcut file

Files that use the .cda file extension store CD audio track shortcuts. CDA files are small files that are created for each track of an associated audio CD by the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Files containing the .cda file extension are automatically created when you play an audio CD on your computer. While the files do not contain any actual audio data, they do contain indexing information that pertains to the audio CD that you are playing. Because of this, a user must have the actual audio CD in their hard drive in order for the songs that are indexed in the CDA file to play on their computer.

How to open CDA files

We have identified one CDA opener that is compatible with this specific type of CDA file.

Programs that open CD Audio track shortcut files

Last updated: August 31, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CDA

While CD Audio track shortcut file is a popular type of CDA-file, we know of 5 different uses of the .CDA file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

CDA2 Cutscene

CDA2 Cutscene is a proprietary video-cutscene file format used in certain adventure games. It stores animation sequences (intro or finale scenes) that include video frames, audio, subtitles in multiple languages, and special timeline commands (like fading or frame-duration control).

These files are produced for playback by the game engine rather than typical video players. They bundle both graphics and sound synchronised under a game's runtime, using tile-based video encoding, interleaved audio data, subtitle overlays, and per-frame control commands. They are not standard video files that edit-software writes; instead they are written by the game's developers as part of its asset pipeline.

Video frames are divided into tiles of size 32×40 pixels. Each tile can be encoded in one of several modes: full-tile refresh, updating marked individual pixels, updating 2×2 blocks, or updating 4×4 blocks. The tile data is further compressed using a modified LZSS algorithm. After the header comes a soft subtitles block (fonts are RLE-compressed), then a checksum table (32-bit checksums per frame), then a frame-size table, followed by the actual frame data. Frames also carry embedded audio data and commands controlling display duration or fading. For timing, the player defaults to a 70 or 75 Hz clock and uses tick counts (typically 5-8 ticks per frame) unless overridden by a command.

Files of this format begin with the ASCII signature "CDA2" at offset zero (bytes 0x43 44 41 32).

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

CDAH Cutscene

We know that one CDA format is CDAH Cutscene. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

MMCDDA Audio CD Track Descriptor

We know that one CDA format is MMCDDA Audio CD Track Descriptor. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Pray For Death Cutscene

Pray For Death Cutscene files store the animated cinematic sequences used in the DOS game Pray for Death (1996). They encapsulate visual storytelling scenes - such as intros, endings, or special character moments - separate from the regular gameplay, combining video frames and likely accompanying audio or triggers to sync with the action. These files are produced by the Pray for Death game engine itself, as part of its CD-ROM assets, and are only read (never edited) when the game runs a cutscene.

Internally, these cutscenes begin with a specific header signature: the first bytes are 4C 53 41 4E 4D 01 02 00 00 00 (ASCII "LSANM" followed by version and zeros) at offset 0. This byte pattern helps the game detect and load the file correctly.

Various apps that use files with this extension

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