.odg

What is a .odg file?

OpenDocument Graphics · Design · OASIS · 2005

ODG is the OpenDocument drawing and graphics format, the native format of LibreOffice Draw. It stores vector shapes, diagrams and page layouts as XML inside a ZIP package.

Category
Design
Type
Binary
Is a .odg file safe to open? Safe. ODG is a drawing document package, read by office software; it does not execute on its own.

What is a .odg file used for?

An .odg file holds vector artwork, flowcharts and diagrams in the OpenDocument standard. Being a ZIP of XML, it starts with the ZIP signature and can be unzipped to inspect its parts.

It is mainly created and edited in LibreOffice Draw. To share widely, export it to PDF, SVG or PNG.

What opens a .odg file?

The .odg format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.

Windows

  • LibreOffice Draw
  • OnlyOffice

macOS

  • LibreOffice Draw

Linux

  • LibreOffice Draw

Open a .odg file step by step

  1. Confirm the file really is a .odg. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
  2. On Windows, open it with LibreOffice Draw or OnlyOffice.
  3. On Mac, use LibreOffice Draw.
  4. On Linux, try LibreOffice Draw.
  5. Still stuck? Convert the .odg to pdf, which opens more widely.

Why can't I open my .odg file?

Almost always because no installed app understands ODG. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.

The other possibility is that the file is not really a .odg at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.

How to convert a .odg file

You can convert a .odg file to pdf, svg, png using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.

What is the .odg file signature (magic bytes)?

A .odg file starts with the hex bytes 50 4B 03 04, which read as PK.. in ASCII. Programs identify ODG by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.

These are the documented signatures for ODG. For a full breakdown, see the ZIP file signature page.

Documented magic-byte signatures for the .odg format
Hex signatureOffsetASCIINote
50 4B 03 040PK..ZIP package (PK..)

See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.

Frequently asked questions

What is a .odg file?

ODG is the OpenDocument drawing and graphics format, the native format of LibreOffice Draw. It stores vector shapes, diagrams and page layouts as XML inside a ZIP package.

How do I open an .odg file?

LibreOffice Draw opens it natively. To view it elsewhere, export to PDF, SVG or PNG from Draw.

What creates .odg files?

LibreOffice Draw is the main tool. It is the OpenDocument format for vector drawings and diagrams.

Can I open an .odg without LibreOffice?

Directly, few tools do. The reliable path is to have the sender export it to PDF or SVG, which open anywhere.

Related formats

Sources

Details on this page were checked against authoritative references. How sources are ranked and what is deliberately left out is set out in the methodology.