An ARF file can be used for different kinds of data, but the most familiar meaning is Cisco Webex’s Advanced Recording Format, which goes beyond the straightforward audio/video content of an MP4; it can package screen sharing, audio, occasional webcam video, and session info like timestamps that the Webex player relies on, which explains why standard players like VLC or Windows Media Player can’t load it.

The expected workflow is to open `.arf` using the Webex Recording Player/Webex Player, then convert it to MP4 for easier playback, and when the file won’t open it’s commonly because of a corrupt or incomplete download, with Windows offering more reliable ARF compatibility; occasionally `.arf` instead refers to Asset Reporting Format, which you can differentiate by checking for readable XML in a text editor versus binary data and a larger file size typical of Webex recordings.

An ARF file is most widely recognized as a Cisco Webex Advanced Recording Format capture created when a Webex meeting or training session is recorded, built to keep the interactive feel rather than output a simple video, which is why it may include audio, webcam video, screen-share streams, and metadata like session pointers for accurate playback; because this structure is unique to Webex, typical players such as VLC or QuickTime can’t open it, and the normal approach is to load it into the Webex Recording Player/Webex Player and convert/export it to MP4, unless a mismatched player version, corrupted download, or platform issues—Windows being more reliable—prevent it from opening.

Because ARF is a Webex-specific recording container, you need the Webex Recording Player/Webex Player to process it, usually with better results on Windows; once installed, double-clicking the `.arf` should open it, but if not, use right-click → Open with or File → Open in the player, and if it still fails, the cause is often an incomplete file, so try re-downloading or using Windows to get it open and then export it to MP4.

An easy test for determining your ARF variant is to open it in a lightweight text editor like TextEdit: if you immediately see structured, readable text including XML-like tags or descriptive fields, it’s likely a report/export file used by compliance tools, whereas a screen full of binary-like chaos and random symbols is a strong indicator that it’s a Webex recording that standard text editors can’t interpret.

For more information on ARF file compatibility look into our web-page. Another easy hint is checking the size: true Webex recording ARFs tend to be large, sometimes hundreds of megabytes or more, whereas report-style ARFs are usually tiny, often only a few kilobytes or megabytes since they’re text-based; when you pair that with where the file came from—Webex download sources for recordings versus auditing/compliance tools for reports—you can normally identify the type quickly and know whether to use Webex Recording Player or the originating software.