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MapInfo MIF/MID

Open Beta

.mif · application/x-mapinfo-mif

MIF/MID is the text-based interchange format for MapInfo Professional. File pairs (.mif + .mid) contain geometry and attributes respectively. A universal format for data exchange between GIS systems.

Export MIF now ✨ Open Beta — free, no limits

Key Features

✓Text-based format (human readable)

✓Separate layers

✓Object attributes

✓Projection support

Example MIF export (central Moscow, 1x0.5 km) — Example: central Moscow, ~1×0.5 km, medium detail

About MIF Format

MIF/MID is MapInfo's text interchange format: geometry and column definitions live in the .mif file, and the attribute values themselves in the .mid, line by line. The format is documented and readable in an ordinary text editor, which is why it has been used for decades as a neutral go-between for GIS: MapInfo Pro, QGIS, Global Mapper and FME read it without plugins.

In Russia MIF/MID is still found in municipal and cadastral workflows: development, boundary and road network layers are accepted and issued in it. Exporting OSM into this format saves you from digitizing the base by hand — the data arrives right away in the shape the receiving side opens natively.

The output is a ZIP archive: a pair of .mif and .mid files per layer plus a README.txt naming the coordinate system. The pairs must be kept together: without the .mid the layer opens with no attributes. Coordinates are in WGS84 (EPSG:4326) by default, and another projection can be chosen at export time. The files are built by the ogr2ogr utility in MapInfo File mode with an explicit FORMAT=MIF, and if a layer fails to convert it is honestly marked as failed — the service does not slip you a binary TAB under a .mif name.

What Program Opens MIF Files

The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with MapInfo MIF/MID (.mif) files exported from OSM2CDR:

🌎MapInfo Professional 🌎MapInfo Pro 🌎QGIS 💻FME 💻Global Mapper

Format specifications

Open standard
2D only
Lossless (no quality loss)
Stores feature attributes
Output: 2 files in archive
MapInfo Interchange Format (.mif + .mid in ZIP). Documented text-based format. Opens in MapInfo Pro, QGIS.

Who Uses MIF Maps

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GIS Data Exchange

A neutral text go-between for passing layers between MapInfo, QGIS, Global Mapper and FME.

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MapInfo Professional

MapInfo Pro's own interchange format: the .mif + .mid pair opens without converters and can be re-saved as TAB.

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Cadastral Maps

A base for cadastral materials: boundaries, development and driveways with OSM attributes in the form acceptance expects.

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Urban Planning

A development and street network layer for urban planning schemes and layout projects.

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Municipal Management

Data exchange with municipal services, where MIF/MID remains the accepted transfer format.

How to Export MIF

Select area

Draw a rectangle or polygon on the interactive map at osm2cdr

Choose MIF

Select MapInfo MIF/MID from the list of 127 available export formats

Export

Click Export and receive your .mif file in 1-5 minutes

Download

Download the ready MIF file and open it in MapInfo Professional

How to Open After Export

MapInfo Pro — File -> Open, file type "MapInfo Interchange (*.mif)"; the program picks up the paired .mid itself and offers to save the layer as a native TAB for further work.
QGIS (free) — Layer -> Add Vector Layer -> pick the .mif. From there the layer can be styled and re-saved to SHP, GeoPackage or any other format.
ogr2ogr (GDAL) — a one-off conversion without a GUI: ogr2ogr -f GPKG out.gpkg roads.mif builds the layer into a GeoPackage.
Global Mapper or FME — if the MIF/MID has to be poured into someone else's data exchange pipeline with reprojection and field renaming.
Before sending it to the client — unpack the whole archive: the .mif + .mid pair must sit in one folder, otherwise the attributes are lost.

Popular maps in MIF

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between MIF and TAB? ▼

Can I open MIF in QGIS? ▼

What is inside the downloaded archive? ▼

Which coordinate system does the data arrive in? ▼

Why not deliver a native TAB instead of MIF? ▼

Related Formats

Frequently Exported Together

MIF+💻GeoJSON 🌎Shapefile 🌍KML

format