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WMF — Windows Metafile (legacy)

Open Beta

.wmf · image/x-wmf

WMF (Windows Metafile) is Windows' 16-bit vector format from 1990, still alive in the Office clipboard and in legacy documents. Our exporter writes WMF directly, without Inkscape: the map is rendered through QGIS to SVG, paths are parsed into polylines and encoded as Placeable WMF records. Honest about the format limits: coordinates are 16-bit (±32767), so large maps are clamped into the coordinate space with some precision loss, and the output is stroked outlines without fills or labels. WMF is chosen for compatibility with old Word and Visio versions.

Export WMF now ✨ Open Beta — free, no limits

Key Features

✓Direct export without Inkscape (pure Python, Placeable WMF records)

✓Placeable Metafile header with magic 0x9AC6CDD7 and correct scale

✓Pipeline QGIS → SVG → polylines → WMF

✓Compatible with all Microsoft Word versions

✓Stroked outlines (16-bit coordinates clamped to ±32767)

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

What Program Opens WMF Files

The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with WMF — Windows Metafile (legacy) (.wmf) files exported from OSM2CDR:

💻Microsoft Word / Visio / PowerPoint 📄LibreOffice Draw ✏Inkscape 🎨CorelDRAW 💻IrfanView

Format specifications

Proprietary format
2D only
Lossless (no quality loss)
No attributes
Output: 1 file
A 16-bit Placeable Windows Metafile (magic 0x9AC6CDD7) from QGIS -> SVG -> polylines; coordinates clamped to +-32767 with some precision loss, stroked outlines only.

Who Uses WMF Maps

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Pasting a map into Microsoft Word 2003/2007 or Visio with maximum compatibility

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Exchanging vector graphics with a legacy Office pipeline

📊

Opening the map in LibreOffice on Linux alongside Windows-user documents

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An archival document meant to outlive editor and OS changes

How to Export WMF

Select area

Draw a rectangle or polygon on the interactive map at osm2cdr

Choose WMF

Select WMF — Windows Metafile (legacy) from the list of 127 available export formats

Export

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

Download

Download the ready WMF file and open it in Microsoft Word / Visio / PowerPoint

Popular maps in WMF

Free

Get WMF — Windows Metafile (legacy) map exports

Download professional WMF maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.

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Export WMF now →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Inkscape required for WMF? ▼

Why do large maps lose precision? ▼

Are there fills and labels? ▼

Related Formats

Frequently Exported Together

WMF+🌐SVG 📄PDF 🖨EPS

format

WMF — Windows Metafile: The 16-bit Clipboard Standard, Still Alive

What WMF is, how it differs from EMF, how to open, why MS Office still produces WMF via clipboard. Get an OpenStreetMap