---
id: compoundfiles
version: "0.3"
license: MIT License
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# compoundfiles — Library for parsing and reading OLE Compound Documents

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 276.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

compoundfiles is a pure-Python library for reading Microsoft's Compound File Binary (CFB) format, historically used in OLE Compound Documents, older Microsoft Office files, and various scientific applications like tomography and microscopy systems. The library emphasizes validation and performs numerous checks on opened files, issuing warnings for non-fatal errors through Python's standard warnings mechanism.

The package was last released in 2014 and has received no maintenance since. While it claims broad platform support and Python 2.7 and 3.2 compatibility, those claims are now over a decade old and unverified against current Python versions. The source-only distribution and lack of wheels add installation friction, and the abandoned status means no bug fixes or compatibility updates are forthcoming.

Use it for:

- Extract data from legacy Microsoft Office files when modern libraries are unavailable.
- Parse OLE Compound Documents in scientific imaging or tomography systems that still use the CFB format.
- Read Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) containers in media production workflows that depend on the CFB structure.
- Reverse-engineer or analyze historical binary file formats in archival or forensic contexts.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Reads and parses Microsoft Compound File Binary format (CFB), OLE Compound Documents, and related legacy binary file formats used in older Office documents and scientific applications.

No. The package is abandoned with no maintenance since 2014, making it unsuitable for new projects. High install friction (source-only), unverified Python compatibility, and no active bug fixes or security updates. Only consider if you must read CFB files in a legacy system with no alternatives and can accept the risk of unmaintained code.

## Install

pip install compoundfiles
uv add compoundfiles
poetry add compoundfiles

## Installing compoundfiles

Before you install: High install friction due to source-only distribution (no wheels). Project is abandoned as of 2014, with no commits or maintenance activity for over a decade, making it unsuitable for new projects or modern Python environments.

License in practice: MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making licensing a non-barrier for adoption.

Quickstart:

pip install compoundfiles

import compoundfiles

with compoundfiles.CompoundFileReader('file.ole') as cfb:
    # Read entries from the compound file

Project is abandoned; no Python version guarantee beyond historical claims of Python 2.7 and 3.2 compatibility. Compatibility with modern Python versions is unverified.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package actually works with Python versions released after 2014 or if it requires significant porting.
- Current state of the GitHub repository and whether it remains accessible or has been removed.
- Whether any forks or maintained alternatives exist for reading CFB/OLE formats in modern Python.

## Package facts

- License: MIT License (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 276.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

read ole compound documents, parse cfb binary format, microsoft compound file reader, ole document parsing, legacy office file format, aaf container parsing, legacy-format, abandoned

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/compoundfiles) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/compoundfiles/)