PMF File

What are PMF files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a PMF 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 PMF files.

What is a PMF file?

PMF files have multiple uses, and ESRI Published Map is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

ESRI Published Map File

The files are created with the ArcMap feature of the ArcGIS map creation software by ESRI. They contain read-only versions of map files that are created for the ArcReader software. These maps allow users who have not paid for the ArcGIS software to read maps that have been created with the application.

The PMF files can only be read and can not be modified. The data views, navigation, printing, layout, panning, and zooming features of the map file can also be limited when the map is saved in the PMF format.

How to open PMF files

We have identified two PMF openers that are compatible with this specific type of PMF file.

Programs that open ESRI Published Map files

Last updated: August 10, 2026

All known file formats using extension .PMF

While ESRI Published Map File is a popular type of PMF-file, we know of 5 different uses of the .PMF file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

PageTech Metafile

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

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

PlayStation Portable Movie Format

PlayStation Portable Movie Format (.PMF or sometimes called PSMF) is a video container format created by Sony for use on the PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld gaming console. It stores full-motion video content such as cutscenes, intro movies, and animated icons or menus for games. Commonly a PSP game or UMD (Universal Media Disc) will include .pmf files that the device plays back using its built-in media libraries.

The video inside a .pmf file is encoded using H.264 (also known as MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC), while the audio, when present, uses Sony's ATRAC3plus codec. These files are produced when developers compile game assets or create specially formatted video for PSP firmware or games. On the PSP, playback is handled by the libpsmfplayer library and relevant system modules.

Internally a .pmf file starts with a header of 2048 bytes, followed by an MPEG-2 Program Stream. The stream includes H.264 video in PES packets (stream_id 0xE0) and ATRAC3plus audio carried in private_stream_1 PES packets. At offset zero the file begins with the ASCII signature "PSMF" followed by the version number.

PMF opener for Windows

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

Print Magic Font

We know that one PMF format is Print Magic Font. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Swift Word Publisher Document

We know that one PMF format is Swift Word Publisher Document. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Various apps that use files with this extension

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