Open CDA files in your browser
The Track01.cda files Windows shows on an audio CD. See what one points at right here, and why it won't play on its own. Nothing leaves your device.
Or drop it anywhere on this page
What you'll see
Your CD track opens as what it points at on the disc: which track, how long it plays and where it starts.
- Which track • Where it starts on the disc
- How long it plays • Its size as a WAV
- The disc's serial • Tells one CD from another
- Says plainly that it holds no sound
About CDA
Audio CDs have no files, only tracks, so Windows shows each track as a small Track01.cda, Track02.cda and so on, made up on the spot when you open the disc. Double-clicking one plays that track from the disc.
Each .cda is 44 bytes: the track's number, the disc's serial, where the track starts and how long it plays, in CD sectors of 1/75 of a second. Copied to a computer or a phone, it still points at the disc, which isn't there, so it plays nothing.
Filepeek reads it and shows the track, how long it plays, where it starts on the disc, its size as a WAV and the disc's serial, and says plainly that the music stays on the CD until a player rips it.
CD Audio track shortcut
.cda
Format
- MIME type
- application/x-cdf
- Made by
- Microsoft Windows
Inside the file
- Size
- Always 44 bytes
- Holds
- Track, start and length
- Sound
- None, it stays on the CD
- Shown by
- Windows, a file for each track
Opens in every browser
Browsers download CDA files. Filepeek shows what one points at in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.
- YouChromeOpens through Filepeek
- YouEdgeOpens through Filepeek
- YouFirefoxOpens through Filepeek
- YouSafariOpens through Filepeek
Apps that open CDA
- WindowsMedia Player, built in, with the CD in
- MacMusic imports the CD itself
- iPhone and iPadNo app opens it
- AndroidNo app opens it
Questions
Why won't my .cda file play?
A .cda holds no sound, only where its track is on the CD. Copied off the disc, it points at nothing. Put the CD back in, or rip it to keep the music.
How do I convert CDA to MP3?
Rip the CD itself: in Windows' Media Player, put the CD in and choose to rip it, or import it with iTunes, Apple Music on a Mac, foobar2000 or Exact Audio Copy. A .cda alone can't be converted, since it holds no music.
Why are all my CDA files 44 bytes?
That's all a track's shortcut needs: its number, where it starts and how long it plays. The music itself, about 10 MB a minute as a WAV, stays on the disc.
Can I get the music back from a .cda I copied?
No, the music was never in it. If you have the CD, rip it. Filepeek shows which track the file was and how long it played, which helps find the right one.