What are UDF files?

This article describes the different formats that use the UDF file extension, how to open each, and how to save each format to a format that uses another file extension, such as ISO, MP4, AVI, or CSV.

What are UDF files?

A file with the UDF extension is most likely a Universal Disk Format file or an Excel user-defined function file.

UDF is a common file system used by media recorders to store files on disk, so the actual UDF file extension (.UDF) may not be as common. Although the burning program will do so using the UDF standard, it will most likely associate the file with itself by appending another extension to the end of the filename.

Instead, some UDF files may be user-defined Excel functions created by Microsoft Excel that will execute some predefined functions before opening. Other things could be Ricoh's address book containing user information.

What are UDF files? Picture 1

Note : UDF also stands for some unrelated technology terms like uniqueness database file , user-defined feature , user-defined font (user-defined font) and ultra-deep field .

How to open a UDF file

Universal Disk Format files with the UDF extension can be opened with Nero or with a free file decompression utility such as PeaZip or 7-Zip.

UDF scripts are Excel user-defined functions created and used by Microsoft Excel through the built-in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications tool. This tool is accessible via the keyboard shortcut Alt+F11 in Excel but the actual script content may not exist with the .UDF file extension but is instead stored in Excel.

UDF files are Ricoh address book files that require the deprecated SmartDeviceMonitor for Admin software from Ricoh. You can open it with the newer Device Manager NX Lite tool, but the older SmartDeviceMonitor for Admin is still available.

Another way to open this file is to use Notepad or another text editor. Many files are text-only files, meaning that regardless of the file's extension, a text editor can properly display the file's contents. This may or may not happen with UDF files but it's worth a try.

Warning : UDF files in MS Excel have the potential to host malicious scripts. Use extreme care when opening executable file formats like these when receiving them via email or downloading from websites you are not familiar with.

How to convert UDF files?

Although the UDF format is widely used to store data on disk, converting this file format to a media file format is not a common practice. For example, if you want to "convert" UDF to MP4 or ISO, it's best to use a video file converter or DVD ripping program.

If there is a disc that you want to save as an ISO or in a video format like MPEG, the best way to do this if you need the data in the ISO format is to use a program like BurnAware.

If you need UDF content in a video file format, you can rip the content off the disc and store it in a playable format like MP4 or AVI using a program like Freemake Video Converter.

To convert UDF to CSV, if you have a Ricoh address book file, SmartDeviceMonitor for Admin software from Ricoh is required.

Note : For example, if you are looking for a file system converter that can convert UDF to NTFS or FAT32, try formatting the partition using Disk Management. Keep in mind that some devices will not support every possible file system.

Lesley Montoya

Update 27 June 2023