PAF File

What are PAF files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a PAF 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 PAF files.

What is a PAF file?

PAF files have multiple uses, and Portable Application Format App is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Portable Application Format App

The PAF files contain installers for portable applications that can be stored on a USB flash drive. These files allow the applications to be run from the flash drive on any Windows-based computer, rather than the computer's hard drive.

The PAF file format is similar to the U3P file format, but it is based on different technology.

How to open PAF files

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

Last updated: August 10, 2026

All known file formats using extension .PAF

While Portable Application Format App is a popular type of PAF-file, we know of 7 different uses of the .PAF file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

CADIF Format

We know that one PAF format is CADIF Format. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Ensoniq PARIS Audio Format Audio

Ensoniq PARIS Audio Format Audio (.PAF) stores digital audio in its native format created by the Ensoniq PARIS system (PARIS stands for Professional Audio Recording Integrated System). The PARIS digital audio workstation (developed by Ensoniq, later E-mu Systems) records or imports sound into .PAF files when working on tracks, allowing users to edit, mix, and assemble audio content in a full production workflow. These files serve as foundational audio files in PARIS projects, holding the actual PCM waveform data that is used when building objects, segments, or mixing tracks.

Audio stored in a .PAF file is uncompressed and supports high resolution, including 24-bit sample depth, and several standard professional sample rates. Within PARIS, users can record new audio directly into .PAF format or import existing .PAF files into projects; once in a project, they can be manipulated non-destructively (objects use only playback instructions while preserving the original .PAF data on disk). When exporting or sharing, .PAF files are often converted to more widely compatible formats like WAV.

In the file's binary structure, .PAF files begin with the ASCII signature "fap " located at offset zero (bytes 0x66617020).

PAF opener for Windows

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

Packed Animation File Video

Packed Animation File Video (extension .PAF) is a proprietary movie file format developed by Amazing Studio. It was used to store animated cutscenes in the Windows version of the 1998 game called Heart Of Darkness. These files combine video frames and audio so that the game can play full-motion, animated sequences during gameplay.

The video portion uses a custom paletted video codec with VGA-era limitations. It supports resolutions often around 256 by 192 pixels. Audio is uncompressed stereo PCM in 16-bit little-endian format. File playback requires decoding that interleaves audio and video data. These animations are rarely used outside that game.

Internally, the file begins with a header that includes metadata such as frame count, width, height, buffer sizes, and blocks for video and audio frames. The signature string at the very start is "Packed Animation File V1.0\n(c) 1992-96 Amazing Studio\x0A\x1A".

Programs that open these PAF files

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

PAF Animation Format

We know that one PAF format is PAF Animation Format. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

PARIS Audio Format Audio

We know that one PAF format is PARIS Audio Format Audio. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Personal Ancestral File

Personal Ancestral File (PAF) version 5 is a proprietary genealogy (family history) database format used by the Personal Ancestral File software developed by FamilySearch, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The database stores information about people, family relationships, life events (such as births, marriages, deaths), source citations, notes, and links to media files. It is intended for managing, printing, searching, organizing, and exporting genealogical data.

The PAF program writes these files when you save your family tree database. It is common to export PAF v5 databases into GEDCOM format (.ged) in order to share or upgrade them into modern genealogy programs. FamilySearch officially discontinued PAF on July 15, 2013; support and distribution ended then, although existing files are still usable by some third-party programs.

PAF files are proprietary binary relational databases; the internal layout differs between older PAF releases (such as 2.x) and PAF 5.x, so files created by older versions may not open correctly in version 5 or recent viewers. The format is undocumented by FamilySearch in a public specification.

Files in the PAF v5 database format begin with the byte signature "500.500.PAF" in ASCII encoding, appearing at offset zero in the file.

Programs that open these PAF files

We have identified 2 PAF openers that are compatible with this specific type of PAF file.

Various apps that use files with this extension

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