Genome Variation Format file
File type: Various data file
A .gvf file contains genomic variation data in the Genome Variation Format. The format describes sequence-alteration features at nucleotide resolution relative to a reference genome.
GVF files are associated with Sequence Ontology tools and genomic annotation workflows.
File type category:
Various data file
Date updated: October 22, 2026
The Genome Variation Format is a simple, structured format for describing sequence-alteration features at nucleotide resolution relative to a reference genome. It is a standard variation file format for human genome sequences and can also represent variation in other genomes.
GVF uses a tab-delimited structure based on the conventions of GFF3. A file can contain reference-sequence information, genomic coordinates, variation details, identifiers, and additional attributes describing each feature.
The specification was published by Reese et al. in Genome Biology, 2010;11(8):R88. GVF is associated with the Sequence Ontology project and can be used with Sequence Ontology Tools on Microsoft Windows.
Open a .gvf file with Sequence Ontology Tools on Microsoft Windows to work with its genome-variation annotations.
Because GVF is a text-based genomic data format, a text editor can display its contents, but it will not interpret the coordinates, reference sequences, or variation attributes as genomic features.
There is no known general-purpose conversion for a .gvf file. GVF is a data-exchange format, so conversion is appropriate only when another genomic analysis tool requires a different variant or annotation format.
Use software that supports both GVF and the target format to export the data, and verify that coordinates, reference sequences, and annotation attributes are preserved.
Programs for viewing gvf files:
Microsoft Windows
English
