Sobre os arquivos WMF
Windows Metafile
Formato vetorial Microsoft original (1990) para Windows 3.0. Usado em ClipArt do Office antigo. Substituído por EMF e SVG modernos.
Família
Raster & Vector Images
Extensão
.wmf
Tipo MIME
image/wmf, application/wmf
Pode ser usado como
COMO NASCEU O
FORMATO WMF.
WMF — Windows Metafile — was designed by Microsoft for Windows 3.0 (1990) as a vector graphics format that could record a sequence of GDI (Graphics Device Interface) drawing calls. A WMF file is literally a script: "draw rectangle here, set pen color, draw text, fill ellipse" — the same commands a Windows app would issue to the screen. Replay the script and the drawing appears.
For 15 years WMF was the clipboard and embedded-graphic format on Windows. Every clipart collection, every Office Insert ClipArt result, every PowerPoint imported vector graphic landed as WMF. A successor EMF (Enhanced Metafile, 1993) added 32-bit coordinates and more drawing primitives; EMF+ (2000) added GDI+ support. All three are still supported by Windows and Office, and .wmf files still surface from legacy archives and Office 95-era clip art.
CURIOSIDADES E
FATOS INTERESSANTES.
A WMF file is literally a sequence of GDI drawing commands — rendering it is exactly equivalent to a Windows app drawing the image.
Microsoft Office ClipArt (1995-2010) was overwhelmingly WMF — millions of "cute" vector drawings.
The WMF vulnerability in 2005 (MS06-001) was a Windows-wide security crisis — the format's design allowed executable code in Escape records.
EMF (Enhanced Metafile) added 32-bit coordinates in 1993; EMF+ added GDI+ in 2000 — both still in Windows today.
WMF/EMF remain the default vector format exchanged between Windows apps via clipboard.
VANTAGENS E
LIMITAÇÕES.
Vantagens
- Native Windows vector format.
- Efficient for line-art and diagrammatic images.
- Preserved in Office clipboard workflows.
Limitações
- Windows-only — poor Mac and Linux support.
- 2005 security vulnerability eroded trust.
- 16-bit coordinates in original WMF limit canvas size.
- Largely superseded by SVG for modern vector exchange.
- Not a web format.
Tamanhos típicos de arquivo
Simple clipart
5-50 KB
Detailed vector drawing
50-500 KB
Especificações técnicas
- MIME type
- image/wmf
- Extension
- .wmf
- Container
- Sequence of GDI drawing records
- Successors
- .emf (1993), .emf+ / .emfx (2000)
- Related spec
- [MS-WMF] (Microsoft Open Specifications)
CONVERTER A PARTIR DE
WMF
Casos de uso comuns
Legacy Windows graphics
Formatos relacionados
Comparativos populares
WMF vs JPG
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
WMF vs WEBP
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
WMF vs AVIF
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
WMF vs GIF
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
WMF vs BMP
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
WMF vs TIFF
Diferenças, tamanho de arquivo e quando escolher cada formato.
Conversões populares de WMF
Os destinos mais procurados ao converter arquivos WMF.
Perguntas frequentes sobre WMF
Perguntas frequentes
WMF (Windows Metafile) is an image formato used to store raster graphics — a two-dimensional grid of pixels describing a picture. It is part of the raster & vector images family e designed around a specific trade-off between tamanho do arquivo, visual fidelity, e feature support (transparency, colour depth, compressão type). Photographers, web designers, e content creators choose WMF when its particular strengths match the publishing target.
Most desktop photo viewers (Windows Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, Affinity Photo) abrir WMF natively. On mobile, iOS Photos e Google Photos display WMF no gallery when suportado por the OS. If the formato is rare ou new, converter to JPG ou PNG first — both are universally readable — usando our WMF to JPG ou WMF to PNG converter.
Upload the WMF to KaijuConverter e pick a target formato (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, SVG, PDF). The conversion runs in o navegador via ImageMagick e returns a baixar in seconds. No account ou installation required; both input e output delete automatically within two hours.
Depende de the task. JPG is the smallest tamanho do arquivo para photographs; PNG is sem perdas com transparência; WMF has its own niche that may favour colour depth, animation, ou codificação efficiency over one ou both of those. para the final web publish, test all three e measure tamanho do arquivo plus visible quality on real content.