CIF File

What are CIF files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CIF 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 CIF files.

What is a CIF file?

CIF files have multiple uses, and BoomTracker Instrument is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

BoomTracker Instrument File

BoomTracker Instrument File is an instrument data format used by the music tracker BoomTracker version 4.0. It stores information defining an FM-synthesis instrument on OPL-type chips, including operator settings, envelopes, macros, and other parameters needed to reproduce the sound in a tracker that supports BoomTracker instrument files.

The file is created by BoomTracker 4.0 (or by tools that export its instrument format, such as when importing into other FM trackers). Programs that load instrument files that define FM instruments - such as Adlib Tracker II - use it to import and use the instruments inside their songs.

Files in this format begin with a fixed ASCII identifier: at offset zero is the signature ".CUD-FM-Instrument>" followed by a byte 0x1A. This signature uniquely identifies the file as a BoomTracker FM instrument format.

How to open CIF files

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

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

Last updated: August 31, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CIF

While BoomTracker Instrument File is a popular type of CIF-file, we know of 6 different uses of the .CIF file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Caltech Intermediate Form Integrated Circuit Design

Caltech Intermediate Form file extension or .cif file is a text file format used to render descriptive instructions for integrated circuits, most commonly known as a chip. The chip is so minuscule that applying any creation or alteration using unaided human capacity is challenging. CIF addresses this problem and is now widely used to describe a chip. CIF serves as a 'microscope' that helps users see through the chip.

CIF is generated to provide integration of various research tools into a standard database structure. CIF also provides a limited set of graphic primitives that are very useful for describing the 2D shapes on the different layers of a chip. It also allows hierarchical description, making the representation brief but comprehensive.

CleWin CIF Layout File

A CleWin CIF Layout File is a text-based layout description used by the CleWin layout editor developed by WieWeb Software. The layout editor is designed to produce mask designs and other lithographic patterns, especially in microelectronics and photolithography, and uses this file format to store hierarchical layout data with features like geometric shapes, layers, and symbols. The format is useful for creating patterns directly or converting from other formats, and for preparing data to drive mask writing equipment.

Files in this format are created by CleWin's layout editor or its bitmap-to-CIF import utility. Users design geometries (rectangles, polygons, symbols), assign them to named layers, and optionally import complex shapes by converting bitmap images. Once the design is finished, CleWin saves the layout in CIF so that it can be used by downstream tools such as mask writers (e.g. converting to LDF format) or by manufacturers for mask fabrication.

Internally, the file begins with the ASCII header string "(CIFwrittenbyCleWin…" as the very first bytes. It includes recognizable keywords such as "(LAYER NAMES", "(TOP LEVEL", "(1 UNIT", "(CLEWIN", and often "MICRON)". The file also uses layer definitions and symbol definition blocks (e.g. "DS" / "DF" commands) embedded in the file text.

Costa Icon File

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

Crystallographic Information File

Crystallographic Information File (CIF) is a standard text file format for representing crystallographic information.

CIF opener for Windows

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

Easy CD Creator Disk Image

Easy CD Creator Disk Image files (extension .CIF) are disc image files created by Roxio software (formerly Adaptec/Corel Easy CD Creator) for Microsoft Windows. They are used when making an exact digital copy of a CD, preserving not just the files and folder structure, but all disc content including invisible sectors, filesystem metadata, and disc layout. Users typically obtain CIF images by saving a CD/DVD in Roxio Creator or Easy CD Creator instead of burning it directly to physical media.

These image files are intended for later burning to optical media (CDs/DVDs), or mounting as virtual drives so content can be accessed as if the disc were inserted into a drive. The format supports data CDs and is compatible with the ISO 9660 filesystem, but extended or protected discs may not always be supported. CIF images record raw data sector-by-sector, allowing full disc duplication including boot records and layout that typical ISO images may omit. Compatibility with Roxio's own optical disc handling tools is native; third-party tools may open or convert CIF to more common formats such as ISO.

File internals begin with a RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) header: the first four bytes are ASCII "RIFF". At offset 8 appears ASCII "imag". Throughout the file, keywords "DISC", "IMAG", and "INFO" are present as identifiers. These signatures help distinguish CIF images of this type.

Programs that open these CIF files

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

Various apps that use files with this extension

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

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about CIF file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.