CURVE File

What are CURVE files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CURVE 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 CURVE files.

What is a CURVE file?

A .CURVE file is a Curve Drawing file.

Curve Drawing files store digital vector artwork produced with Linearity Curve, a vector design application previously named Vectornator. These files retain everything needed to continue editing an artwork: artboards and their dimensions, layers, paths and vector shapes (including curved strokes), type elements, fills, strokes, groups, previews, masks and imported images or raster objects. They are used when designs are built from editable vector objects rather than flattened bitmaps or final exports.

The format is written by Linearity Curve, mainly used on macOS and iPadOS. Designs are authored in this program and later exported for publishing or sharing into standard formats such as SVG, PDF, JPEG or PNG. The file preserves editable attributes such as rulers, guides and snapping for precision layout; metadata such as modification date, file format version and active layer; and artboard settings like background color, grid visibility, opacity, blend modes and corner radii.

File signatures reveal that these are ZIP-based archives (beginning with the ASCII signature PK at offset zero) containing structured JSON documents. JSON names such as Manifest.json, Document.json, Elements, Layers, Units, Anchors, BlendMode, and DocumentVersion appear inside; also visible are embedded thumbnail PNGs. These internal markers allow tools that inspect raw bytes to identify the format reliably.

How to open CURVE files

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

We have not yet verified any programs for Windows that work with this specific file format. If you know one, please use the 'Suggest a program' link below. Thanks!

Last updated: September 19, 2026

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