EDF and BDF viewer for Windows

How to open and review EDF or BDF recordings on Windows.

Use a native workspace to inspect supported EDF, EDF+, BDF, and BDF+ files while keeping the original recording separate from review notes and exports.

Quick answer: EDF Workbench 0.1.5 is a Windows x64 public preview for opening these four file families within the documented limits. It starts with a clean workspace and opens local recordings only when you choose them.

What to check before choosing a viewer

A useful EDF or BDF viewer should identify the exact formats and operating system it supports. It should also make channel labels, units, sample rates, time position, annotations, and display scaling understandable without presenting a visual trace as a diagnosis.

For long or multichannel recordings, look for direct time navigation, an overview of the full duration, channel search and visibility controls, and a way to distinguish what is displayed from what is measured or exported.

A practical first review

  1. Confirm the file and authorization. Work with a recording you are permitted to access. EDF Workbench reads local files; do not send sensitive recordings through the website or support form.
  2. Open the recording. Choose File > Open Recording or press Ctrl+O, then select an EDF, EDF+, BDF, or BDF+ file.
  3. Check context first. Review recording information, channel names, units, sample rates, start time, and duration before interpreting the display.
  4. Navigate deliberately. Use Start, Previous, Next, End, Go to, the overview timeline, or mouse navigation to move through time.
  5. Choose the required channels. Search, hide, pin, reorder, or duplicate channel presentations without rewriting channel data in the source file.
  6. Measure or export only when needed. Point, two-point, and region tools produce review results. CSV, image, and HTML exports are separate files.
EDF Workbench showing a synthetic multichannel recording, channel list, measurements, annotations, and frequency analysis.
A synthetic recording in the current Windows workspace. No patient data is shown.

What the current preview supports

File families

EDF, EDF+, BDF, and BDF+ within current documented limits.

Review tools

Time navigation, channel presentation, measurements, supported annotations, selected-region frequency inspection, and exports.

Source handling

The review workflow does not overwrite the opened recording. User annotations use a separate sidecar.

Boundaries

No diagnostic interpretation, synchronized recording comparison, general signal-processing pipeline, or claim that every vendor-specific convention is understood.

For exact controls, shortcuts, exports, update behavior, and troubleshooting, use the current documentation. If a file is malformed, inaccessible, encrypted, or outside supported conventions, the application may reject it.

If you first need to identify the four supported file families, read the practical EDF versus BDF comparison.

Try the documented workflow

Download the signed Windows x64 preview.

Check the current version, publisher, signature, file size, and SHA-256 before installation.

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