Document
What is a .frm file?
A .frm file is a Visual Basic Form File (version 4 onwards). This is a document format, so it holds text and layout meant to be read. Confusingly, this extension has been used by 4 different formats over the years — they're all listed below.
This extension has been used by more than one format
4 different formats have claimed .frm over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.
How to open a .frm file
- Try LibreOffice (free, Windows/Mac/Linux) — it opens an enormous range of current and historic document formats.
- Microsoft Word and Google Docs handle most mainstream document types.
- If nothing opens it, open it in a text editor: many older document formats have readable text inside.
The registry records this extension against Visual Basic Form File, dBASE Report Form Definition File, Visual Basic Form File and others, so software from that family is the most likely match.
How to convert a .frm file
- Once it opens in LibreOffice or Word, Save As .docx or .pdf to get it into a format you can use anywhere.
The technical record
For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .frm.
| Format name | Version | MIME type | PUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Basic Form File | 4 onwards | — | fmt/1541 |
| dBASE Report Form Definition File | IV | — | fmt/1860 |
| Visual Basic Form File | 3 or earlier | — | fmt/1542 |
| MySQL Table Definition Format | — | — | fmt/868 |