Data file

What is a .dbf file?

A .dbf file is a FoxPro Database (version 2.0). This is a data file — structured information used by a program rather than read directly. Confusingly, this extension has been used by 11 different formats over the years — they're all listed below.

This extension has been used by more than one format

11 different formats have claimed .dbf over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.

How to open a .dbf file

Start with the program that produced it; that's almost always the right tool.
Open it in a text editor to see whether it's readable text or binary.
For database formats, DB Browser for SQLite or LibreOffice Base can often import it.

The registry records this extension against FoxPro Database, FoxPro Database, dBASE Database and others, so software from that family is the most likely match.

How to convert a .dbf file

If you can view the data, exporting to .csv is usually the most portable option.

MIME type

When a .dbf file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:

application/dbase

What's a MIME type?

The technical record

For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .dbf.