CPI File

What are CPI files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CPI 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 CPI files.

What is a CPI file?

CPI files have multiple uses, and AVCHD Video Clip Info is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

AVCHD Video Clip Info File

Files that contain the .cpi file extension are most frequently associated with the AVCHD high-def digital video camera recorder file format. This file format allows for digital video recording at 1080i and 720p signals.

Panasonic and Sony created the CPI file format through a joint effort. CPI files contain metadata that describes the video clip, such as the video's frame rate, aspect ratio, and other video information.

How to open CPI files

Important: Different programs may use files with the CPI file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your CPI 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 CPI openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: September 2, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CPI

While AVCHD Video Clip Info File is a popular type of CPI-file, we know of 4 different uses of the .CPI file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

DR-DOS International Code Page Info

DR-DOS International Code Page Info files store bitmap fonts and control data that allow display and printer devices under DR-DOS (and Novell DOS) to support multiple character sets (code pages). They are created by the operating system (or its built-in utilities) to hold screen or printer font definitions which DR-DOS loads when preparing or selecting code pages. These files let a DOS system change which international characters appear on screen and printers without replacing firmware-based character sets.

These files are written by DR-DOS (and Novell DOS) when code pages are prepared using the MODE command (or equivalent system routines). The operating system reads them when switching display or printer devices into different code pages. A single file can contain several code pages, each possibly with multiple font sizes. Screen fonts (various point sizes) and printer fonts (with escape sequences for selecting built-in or downloadable character sets) are included.

Internally, the file begins with a Font File Header marked by the ASCII signature ".DRFONT" at offset zero. After that comes a FontInfoHeader counting how many code pages are included. For each code page there is a CodePageEntryHeader naming the device type, the code page number, and pointing to associated Font Data via a CPInfoHeader. Device font definitions follow depending on whether they are for screen (multiple point sizes) or printer (escape sequences plus font data).

MS-DOS International Code Page Info

MS-DOS International Code Page Info files store font and character set data used by MS-DOS so that display screens or printers can support multiple code pages (which are different sets of character encodings). These files are created by Microsoft and used at boot or when changing console/printer character sets; the DISPLAY.SYS and PRINTER.SYS drivers, together with commands like MODE CON CP PREPARE, load specific code page entries from these font files.

Each file defines one or more code pages; for each code page it includes headers that describe whether the fonts are for screen or printer, the device subtype (for example EGA, VGA, or a specific printer model), and the actual bitmap data for all 256 glyphs in sizes typically 8×8, 8×14, 8×16 (and additional sizes under DR-DOS). The font data allow DOS to render text correctly under different regional or hardware requirements (national language support).

The byte signature at the start of such a file begins with the ASCII string ".FONT" preceded by the byte 0xFF. This signature appears exactly at offset zero in MS-DOS style CPI files.

Sietronics CPI XRD Format

We know that one CPI format is Sietronics CPI XRD Format. 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 CPI files. Remember, different programs may use CPI 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 CPI file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.