Corel Metafile Exchange
image/x-cmx
Released Mid-1990s
· by Corel Corporation
The image/x-cmx MIME type represents the Corel Metafile Exchange (CMX) format, a proprietary vector graphics format developed by Corel Corporation. Introduced in the mid-1990s alongside the CorelDRAW suite, CMX was specifically designed to facilitate the easy exchange of vector graphics, clip art, and page layouts between different Corel applications and third-party software. Built on the RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) container architecture, CMX stores scalable drawing commands rather than a pixel grid, maintaining high fidelity but remaining largely restricted to the Corel software ecosystem.
Technical Specifications
.cmx
None (Vector)
application/x-cmximage/cmx
Magic Bytes & HTTP Headers
RIFF....CMX1
Browser Support Matrix
| Browser | Status | Min Version |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | Legacy |
Advantages & Limitations
- Preserves rich vector attributes and layer groupings native to the Corel drawing engine better than standard WMF files
- Significantly smaller footprint than full CDR project files, making it excellent for early CD-ROM clip art distribution
- Maintains decent support in the open-source community thanks to libraries like libcdr
- Proprietary format strictly tied to Corel's ecosystem, often causing compatibility issues with Adobe software
- Zero support in web browsers; must be converted to SVG for modern web usage
- Largely obsolete for modern workflows, superseded by PDF and SVG
Developer Code Snippets
File Detection Steps
How to programmatically detect a image/x-cmx
file by reading its raw bytes:
- 1 Check the first 4 bytes for the RIFF ASCII signature (Hex: 52 49 46 46).
- 2 Skip the next 4 bytes (which dictate the total file size).
- 3 Check bytes 8-11 for the CMX specific signatures: 'CMX1', 'CMX2', or 'CMX3' (Hex: 43 4D 58 31, etc.).
Software Support
Conversion Tools
Share & Embed
[](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/corel-cmx)
<iframe src="https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/corel-cmx/embed" width="100%" height="280" style="border:1px solid #cbd5e1;border-radius:8px;" title="Corel-CMX Specs"></iframe>
JSON API
All data on this page is available as a free, open JSON API. Use it in your project, documentation, or tooling.
GET https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/corel-cmx.json
Open JSON
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CMX file?
A CMX (Corel Metafile Exchange) file is a vector image format created by Corel. It was widely used in the 1990s and 2000s for distributing clip art collections (like Corel Mega Gallery) and sharing vector graphics between different design applications.
What is the difference between CMX and CDR files?
CDR is the primary, complex working document format for CorelDRAW, supporting multi-page layouts and advanced program-specific features. CMX is a simplified, highly portable "exchange" format intended solely for storing single vector illustrations or clip art.
Can Adobe Illustrator open Corel CMX files?
Adobe Illustrator's native support for CMX is notoriously unreliable and often fails on newer versions. It is highly recommended to open the file in CorelDRAW, Inkscape, or LibreOffice Draw, and then export it to a standard format like SVG, PDF, or EPS.