.IDL File

The idl file extension is associated with Visual C++.

The idl file contains one or more interface definitions. Each interface definition is composed of an interface header and an interface body. The interface header is demarcated by square brackets. The interface body is contained in curly brackets.

All COM interfaces are defined using the Interface Definition Language (IDL). IDL is similar to C and C++ header files, with new syntax elements specific to distributed computing added. IDL files are compiled to create source files and binary type libraries that can be used by practically all programming environments.

Files with idl file extension can be found mainly as interface definition libraries from Visual Studio.

How to open:

Use any of the Microsoft Visual Studio suites.

How to convert:

As far as we know, this .idl file type can't be converted to any other file format. This is usually the case of system, configuration, temporary, or data files containing data exclusive to only one software and used for its own purposes. Also some proprietary or closed file formats cannot be converted to more common file types in order to protect the intellectual property of the developer, which is for example the case of some DRM-protected multimedia files.