The EMF (Enhanced Windows Metafile) format is a Microsoft proprietary graphic format. It’s essentially an upgraded 32 bit version of the original WMF (Windows Metafile) format which was developed by Microsoft to be used with the Windows operating system. The first Windows Metafiles appeared in 1988 along with Windows version 2.0. Later, the Windows Metafile format gained support for both Linux and Macintosh operating systems. In 1993 Microsoft introduced the new 32 bit Enhanced Windows Metafile format which featured additional commands and was also supported by printer drivers.

EMF files can store both bitmap and vector image data and may include a wide range of drawing operations such as commands for drawing rectangles, lines, circles and other more complex geometrical shapes. The EMF format is mainly used for storing vector images but can also contain raster graphics.

Initially, the EMF format was designed to act as a bridge format that enabled users to convert vector graphics to raster graphics and vice versa. As new cross-platform image formats were developed, the need for EMF files decreased and as a result the EMF file format was replaced by other formats such as JPEG or GIF. However, EMF files are still supported by a large number of applications.