FLI File

What are FLI files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a FLI 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 FLI files.

What is a FLI file?

FLI files have multiple uses, and Autodesk Animator is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Autodesk Animator

These FLI files contain the animations created in Autodesk Animator, a software designed to create 3D animations. You can create and save worlds for maps, render high-quality architectural visualizations, model interiors and objects, and animations with life-like features.

How to open FLI files

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

Last updated: August 6, 2026

All known file formats using extension .FLI

While Autodesk Animator is a popular type of FLI-file, we know of 3 different uses of the .FLI file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Flexible Line Interpretation bitmap

These FLI files contain the images used on the Commodore 64, a popular home computer that was released in 1982. These files are accessed by computers that use a VIC graphics chip. You can use hacks to transcend the limitations of the images' standard graphics modes.

FLIC FLI Video

A .FLI file is a short animation created using Autodesk Animator, one of the early 2D animation tools. It stores a sequence of still image frames with a limited colour palette (usually 256 or fewer colours) and uses simple lossless compression to make animations that can loop and play back smoothly. It was originally written for MS-DOS, and the display area is fixed at 320 pixels by 200 pixels.

Autodesk Animator itself writes .FLI files when the artist creates frame-by-frame animations. Viewer programs or conversion tools then read them back. These animations do not include audio track data; they consist only of visual frames, sometimes with palette changes, frame labels, or timing metadata. Because of its fixed low resolution and older compression style, modern software or conversion tools are often used to view or convert .FLI files into more contemporary formats.

Internal identifiers include a 128-byte header in which bytes 4-5 store a signature value: in .FLI files this is 0xAF11 (little-endian, so seen in file data as bytes AF 11 at offset 4). That signature distinguishes .FLI from its more advanced sibling .FLC.

FLI opener for Windows

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

Various apps that use files with this extension

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