DCP File

What are DCP files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a DCP 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 DCP files.

What is a DCP file?

DCP files have multiple uses, and Delphi Compiled Package is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Delphi Compiled Package

A Delphi Compiled Package file is produced when using the Embarcadero Delphi development environment to build a package (a reusable library of compiled units). It serves as a linkable symbol file that other Delphi projects reference during compilation, supplying the compiler and linker with metadata and symbol information without recompiling the package's source units.

The source package is defined in a .dpk file. When built, Delphi emits several artifacts: a runtime/shared library (.bpl) containing executable code and a .dcp file containing a package header plus the compiled unit files (e.g. .dcu or their equivalents on other platforms) for all units in the package. Projects that depend on the package must have access to the .dcp file at build time. The .dcp file does not itself execute; it is co-distributed with .bpl files for design-time and runtime package functionality. Packaged units may include runtime or design-time scope (IDE extensions). Location of the output can be changed via Project → Options → Delphi Compiler.

The .dcp file is a binary image starting with a package header, followed by the concatenated compiled unit files, and includes symbol information required by the compiler and linker. It carries all metadata necessary for referencing the package during builds. For Win32 builds, by default Delphi places .dcp files in typical user public Documents paths such as C:\Users\Public\Documents\Embarcadero\Studio\

Signature detail: this format has the byte signature "PKG7" (hex 0x504B4737) at file offset 0.

How to open DCP files

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

Programs that open Delphi Compiled Package files

Last updated: August 6, 2026

All known file formats using extension .DCP

While Delphi Compiled Package is a popular type of DCP-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .DCP file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

DNG Camera Profile

A DNG Camera Profile (.dcp) is a binary calibration file made by Adobe that tells raw-processing software how to translate the raw sensor data from a particular camera into visually accurate colors under different lighting conditions. It includes color matrices, "look-tables" (for hue, saturation, tone), and white balance information. Photographers use these profiles so that photos from the same camera under different lights, or from different cameras, start off looking consistent when opened or edited.

Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw generate and apply .dcp profiles. Users select a profile in the Develop module (in Lightroom) or when using Camera Raw, or install custom profiles via the CameraProfiles folder. The free Adobe DNG Profile Editor lets people build new .dcp files or edit existing ones; it exports "recipes" (.dcpr) that are converted into .dcp format. Embedded profiles may also be included inside DNG files themselves.

Files begin with the ASCII letters "MMCR" at byte offset zero (big-endian form); a little-endian variant with "IIRC" in the same place is also valid. This magic helps distinguish DNG Camera Profiles from generic TIFF-based files.

DCP opener for Windows

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

Various apps that use files with this extension

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