CXI File

What are CXI files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CXI 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 CXI files.

What is a CXI file?

A .CXI file is a Coherent X-ray Imaging Format file.

The Coherent X-ray Imaging Format is a structured scientific file format used to store all experimental and analysis data for coherent X-ray imaging experiments. It was created by the Coherent X-ray Imaging Data Bank (CXIDB) to serve as a standard for archiving and sharing raw diffraction patterns, instrument settings, metadata, and downstream results from coherent diffractive imaging and related techniques.

This format is produced by research facilities performing coherent X-ray imaging, such as free-electron laser beamlines, under definitions set by CXIDB. Data producers use it to record measurements from detectors, beam parameters, sample identifiers, timestamps, and analysis outputs. Consumers - scientists or software - use it to read the complete dataset from experiment through reconstruction or simulation without needing external supplementary files.

Internally it is based on the HDF5 container format: CXI files are HDF5 files with a prescribed directory hierarchy ("groups") and dataset names that enforce consistency and clarity in how data, masks, detector geometry, sample identifiers, beam and instrument metadata are stored. CXI version 1.6 is the current version in wide use.

How to open CXI files

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

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

Last updated: September 21, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

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