PPU File

What are PPU files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a PPU 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 PPU files.

What is a PPU file?

A .PPU file is a FreePascal Compiled Unit file.

A FreePascal Compiled Unit file stores metadata and interface information for a Pascal unit source file after it is compiled by the Free Pascal Compiler (FPC). It is created whenever you compile a unit (.pp or .pas), and it works together with the corresponding object (.o) file when you use that unit in programs or other units. It helps FPC know what public types, procedures, functions, constants, and other interface elements a unit provides, which other units it depends on, and whether changes require recompilation.

The compiler produces a .ppu file for each unit you compile. At build time, when you write uses clauses in your Pascal code, FPC reads the .ppu file to check the interface of those units and see if they are up to date. If a .ppu file is older than its unit's source file or one of its dependencies, FPC will recompile the unit. If you want to distribute a unit without source, you must provide both its .ppu file and its .o file to allow other people to use it. There is also a utility called ppudump which can show the contents of a .ppu file.

Inside the .ppu file the format includes several sections: a unit header, general interface information, definitions of types and routines, symbol names and their references, optional browser information (if compilation included it), and a reserved implementation section (rarely used). Technically, the file begins with the ASCII signature "PPU" in its first three bytes.

How to open PPU files

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

Programs that open FreePascal Compiled Unit files

Last updated: August 10, 2026

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