CTR File

What are CTR files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CTR 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 CTR files.

What is a CTR file?

CTR files have multiple uses, and ChemDraw Template is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

ChemDraw Template

ChemDraw Template (.ctr) files are created by the ChemDraw application to store document layouts that users can reuse. They capture custom template content - such as pre-drawn chemical structures, reaction arrows, orbitals, annotations, colored boxes, captions, curves, and images - to appear in the template (tool) palettes for building or augmenting chemical drawings.

ChemDraw templates are produced when a user designs a template in the drawing area and then saves it via "Save As → ChemDraw Template" (or as a .ctp/.ctr file). These files are then accessed through ChemDraw's template-related menus, letting users open or insert template items into new or existing drawings. Sharing such a .ctr file involves copying it into the ChemDraw Items folder so it shows up with the built-in templates.

Files written in this format begin with the four ASCII bytes "CHMR" at offset zero.

How to open CTR files

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

Programs that open ChemDraw Template files

Last updated: September 19, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CTR

While ChemDraw Template is a popular type of CTR-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .CTR file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

CorelTRACE Configuration

CorelTRACE Configuration files store settings for the CorelTRACE bitmap-to-vector tracing tool. CorelTRACE is used to convert scanned or bitmap images into vector illustrations - settings in this format determine how bitmaps are traced, including preset styles such as Outline Trace or Centerline Trace, thresholds for color detection, smoothing, node types, detail levels, and other parameters that influence the vector output.

CorelTRACE itself is part of the CorelDRAW family of graphics software, particularly used alongside Corel DESIGNER and other CorelDRAW-based workflows. These configuration files are written by CorelTRACE so that tracing operations can be repeated consistently, by using the same parameter values each time. Users adjust trace settings using CorelTRACE's user interface; when saved, the configuration file captures those settings so that future tracing uses identical behavior.

Internally the format is binary and its contents begin with a fixed ASCII signature at the start: the file starts with the bytes forming "CorelTRACEConfig" (hex 43 6F 72 65 6C 54 52 41 43 45 43 6F 6E 66 69 67 followed by a zero byte) at offset zero.

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

Various apps that use files with this extension

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