CIL File

What are CIL files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CIL 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 CIL files.

What is a CIL file?

A .CIL file is a Clip Gallery Download Package file.

Clip Gallery Download Package files are bundled sets of clip art distributed by Microsoft's Clip Gallery. They are created when clip art is selected for download from Microsoft's online gallery; the package contains one or more graphic clips (often in the Windows Metafile format) along with metadata such as keywords and categories so that once installed into Clip Gallery the clips are searchable.

When a package arrives, it is meant to be run (opened) in Microsoft Clip Gallery or via its helper app cag.exe. Running the package automatically extracts the individual clip files into the local Clip Gallery storage (for example "Downloaded Clips"), and updates the Clip Gallery catalog (.cag file) so the new images become part of the gallery.

Technical detail: these download packages start with a distinctive header. At byte offset 0 they begin with the UTF-16 encoded ASCII string "S.P.L.I.T.C.I.L" (shown in hex as 53 00 50 00 4C 00 49 00 54 00 43 00 49 00 4C 00).

How to open CIL files

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

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

Last updated: August 31, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of CIL files. Remember, different programs may use CIL 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 CIL file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.