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To open an MDI file, convert it to TIFF and view the TIFF in an image viewer. Microsoft’s MDI to TIFF File Converter is the documented conversion route, but Microsoft’s published system requirements do not list Windows 10 or Windows 11. The tool may therefore not work on a current PC, and Microsoft does not confirm support for those versions.
What an MDI file is
MDI is a proprietary format associated with Microsoft Office Document Imaging (MODI), an older Office component used with scanned documents. Microsoft says MODI was deprecated as part of Office 2010. Its documented converter changes MDI files to TIFF, a format supported by a variety of image-viewing programs.
Legacy MODI documentation also describes recognized OCR text being stored in MDI files and made searchable. That is historical format information, not a guarantee that every MDI contains OCR text or that conversion will preserve it in a particular way.
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In File Explorer, turn on View > Show > File name extensions so you can verify the complete filename. Windows uses extensions to help identify file types. Renaming filename.mdi to filename.tif does not convert the file; it only changes the name. See Microsoft’s guide to common file name extensions in Windows.
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Convert an MDI file with Microsoft’s legacy converter
Microsoft’s MDI to TIFF File Converter is a command-line utility for converting one or more MDI files to TIFF. The Microsoft Download Center lists version 1.0, a 1.9 MB download, and a publication date of July 15, 2024. Those download details do not mean the utility is supported on Windows 10 or 11.
- Open Microsoft’s MDI to TIFF File Converter download page and review the listed system requirements before downloading.
- Run the downloaded self-extracting file to extract the utility.
- Open Command Prompt in the extracted
modiconvfolder. - Run
mdi2tif –helpto see the utility’s usage information, then follow its instructions to convert the MDI file or files. - If you are not running the utility as an administrator, choose a location where your account can write the log and destination files.
- If conversion completes, open the resulting TIFF in an image viewer.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 compatibility
Microsoft’s download page lists Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 R2, and Windows XP SP3 among its supported systems. It does not list Windows 10 or Windows 11, so compatibility with either current version is not established by Microsoft. If the utility will not run or convert your file, do not assume that changing compatibility settings will make it a supported solution.
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If Windows still cannot open the file
If you already have an app you want to try, right-click the file and choose Open with. Microsoft also suggests looking for an app in the Microsoft Store when Windows has no suitable app installed; this general guidance does not confirm that a Store app can read MDI files.
If the converter is unavailable or fails, ask the sender for a TIFF export, or use an available legacy MODI installation to export the document if one is accessible. Neither option is a confirmed, currently supported Windows 10 or 11 workflow. Avoid installing an unverified utility simply because it claims to open MDI files.
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