File Format Information Database Home Update

Ressource Interchange File Format

Quick Info

The Ressource Interchange File Format (RIFF) was defined by Microsoft as a flexible format for different types of multimedia data. Actually, such a format had already existed (Electronic Arts' IFF-Format), so Microsoft changed it a bit, and then called it RIFF.

There are many sub-types ("RIFF forms") defined, and developers are encouraged to create new ones and register them with Microsoft. The most popular are Wave Audio and AVI Video.

Quick Info:

Name: Ressource Interchange File Format
Type: Multipurpose Multimedia Format
Extension: depends on sub-type
Specification: Original specification (
HTML, Download)
If you have additional information, send mail to Alexander Krauss