How to open .AFDESIGN files (Affinity Designer) on Android, Windows and Linux

Affinity’s apps are popular with designers and photographers, so .afdesign, .afphoto and .afpub files turn up in client folders, template packs and shared drives. Nothing outside Affinity opens them, and Affinity doesn’t run on Android or Linux.

Folders shows the thumbnail that Affinity saves inside each file, on Android, Windows and Linux, so you can see what a file is before asking for an export or opening the right app.

What is an .AFDESIGN file?

The three extensions belong to the Affinity range from Serif, a British software company that is now part of Canva:

Extension	App	Used for
.afdesign	Affinity Designer	Vector illustration, logos, icons, interface design
.afphoto	Affinity Photo	Photo editing, retouching, compositing and painting
.afpub	Affinity Publisher	Page layout: books, brochures, magazines, posters

Underneath, all three use the same file structure, which is why the Affinity apps can open each other’s documents. A Designer file opens in Photo, and Publisher can switch into the other apps’ tools, when they’re installed, without leaving the layout.

The format is Serif’s own and isn’t documented. No other program reads the layers, adjustments or text inside. What Affinity files normally carry is a small thumbnail picture, saved so file browsers can show what the document looks like.

Two compatibility points matter in practice:

• Version 2 files don’t open in version 1 apps. Affinity’s second generation changed the format, so a file saved in a version 2 app can’t be opened by someone still using version 1.
• Publisher documents may link to pictures rather than embed them, much as InDesign does. A .afpub sent on its own can be missing its images.

How to open an .AFDESIGN file with Folders

On Android

1. Get Folders from the download section and install it (Android 7.0 or newer).
2. Tap Allow access and turn on All files access.
3. Find the file, or type .afdesign, .afphoto or .afpub into the search box at the top of a folder.
4. Tap it.

From a chat app, email or cloud drive, use Open with → Folders.

On Windows and Linux

1. Install Folders on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or on Linux, where there’s no official Affinity app at all.
2. Double-click the file in Folders.
3. On Windows, right-click it in File Explorer and choose Open with → Folders. The installer adds Folders to that menu for all three extensions.

What you can do with it in Folders

• See the thumbnail stored in the file. It’s a small picture of the document, enough to recognise a logo, a retouched photo or a brochure cover.
• Details lists the file’s name, size, folder and date.
• Share the file with someone who has Affinity, or with the designer when you need an export.

If Folders finds no thumbnail, it says No preview to show.

That’s the limit of what any app outside Affinity can do. Folders doesn’t show layers, artboards or pages, can’t zoom into full-resolution detail, and doesn’t edit or convert the file.

Other ways to open .AFDESIGN files

• Affinity’s own apps, on Windows, Apple computers and iPad: the only way to open the documents fully.
• Ask for an export. Affinity exports PDF, PSD, SVG, PNG and JPEG, and Folders opens all of those. A PSD keeps the layers for Photoshop users; a PDF is the safest choice for print and for Publisher layouts.
• GIMP, Inkscape and Krita can’t open Affinity files, but they work well with the PSD, SVG or PDF exports.

Problems opening an .AFDESIGN file?

• Affinity says the file needs a newer version. It was saved in a version 2 app and you have version 1. Update, or ask for an export.
• Pictures are missing in a Publisher document. They were linked rather than embedded. Ask the sender to include the image files, or to embed them before sending; Affinity’s Resource Manager shows which pictures are linked.
• Fonts are replaced. The document uses fonts you don’t have installed. Ask which fonts are needed, or for a PDF, which usually carries its fonts with it.
• The thumbnail is tiny. It’s only meant for file browsers. For a proper look, ask for a PNG or PDF export.

Questions people ask

Can I open an .afdesign file without Affinity? Only its thumbnail, in Folders. For the content, you need an Affinity app or an export from someone who has one.

Can I open Affinity files on Android or Linux? There’s no official Affinity app for either. Folders shows the thumbnail on both, and opens the PDF, PSD, SVG or PNG exports.

How do I convert .afphoto to PSD or JPG? In Affinity Photo, use File → Export and pick PSD or JPEG. Folders doesn’t convert Affinity files, but it opens the result: see how to open PSD files.

Can Affinity Designer open .afphoto and .afpub files? Yes. The Affinity apps share one file format, so each can open the others’ documents.

Related guides: how to open Photoshop PSD files and how to open InDesign files. Or browse all 382 file types Folders opens.