How to Open an Office Document Imaging File

MDI files are associated with and created by Microsoft for use with its Microsoft Office Document Imaging software. MDI files are raster-based scanned images that simultaneously contain OCR data. OCR, or optical-character recognition, scans documents for recognizable letters or characters and converts them to plain text. MDI files can only be edited with Microsoft Office Document Imaging, which can export the MDI files to other formats. You can also view MDI files, without the ability to edit, using the MDI Viewer.

Instructions

Opening MDI with Microsoft Office Document Imaging

1. Install Microsoft Office Document Imaging software if it is not already installed. Insert your Office CD-ROM and wait for the installer to auto load. Click "Add or Remove Features" and then click "Next." Find "Microsoft Office Document Imaging" beneath "Office Tools." Right-click "Microsoft Office Document Imaging" and double-click "Run all from my computer." Click "Update" to install.

2. Find the MDI file on your computer and double-click it.

3. Edit your MDI file as required in Microsoft Office Document Imaging. If you wish to make the file cross-application compatible, click "File," then "Save As." Then, under file type menu, choose "TIFF."

Opening MDI with MDI Viewer

1. Go to the MDI Viewer download on the Igor Software website (see the Resources section of this article). Click "Download at Tucows."

2. Click "Download Now" to download MDI Viewer. Double-click the downloaded file to install.

3. Open MDI Viewer once installed. Click "File" and then "Open" and locate your MDI file to open it with MDI Viewer.

References

• Microsoft Office Online: About Microsoft Document Imaging Format (MDI)
• Intranomic: Installing Microsoft Office Document Imaging PDF

Resources

• Igor Software: MDI Viewer Download