What is a CFM file?
A .CFM file is primarily a ColdFusion Markup File created by Adobe Systems. These files contain server-side code and HTML used by Adobe ColdFusion or open-source alternatives like Lucee to build dynamic web pages. However, when regular users download a .CFM file by mistake, it is often actually a server-generated PDF document. This happens when a web server fails to assign the correct file extension during the download process.
Other uses for CFM files
In less common situations, a .CFM file might be a clinical eForm used by the CognisantMD Ocean Platform. These eForms are usually compressed as ZIP archives. Alternatively, the file might be a dBASE Custom Form created for the dBASE database software.
How to open CFM files?
If your .CFM file is a web script, you can open and edit the code using any standard text editor like Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, or Sublime Text. If you suspect the file is a misnamed downloaded document, you can rename the extension from .CFM to .PDF and open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Inspect and view your file
Because the .CFM extension has multiple possible meanings, we recommend using viewer.online/cfm to identify the actual format of the user's file. The tool analyzes .CFM files to identify their exact format and creator software, shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews it. Because many downloaded .CFM files use the known PDF format, viewer.online/cfm can safely open and display them online, eliminating compatibility problems.