Command & Conquer 3 audio file
File type: Game file
The .cdata file extension identifies audio data files used by Command & Conquer 3 and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.
These files are stored inside BIG resource files used by the games, rather than normally being distributed as standalone audio files.
File type category:
Game file
Date updated: October 11, 2026
.cdata files contain audio data, including sound effects and voice data, for Command & Conquer 3, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, and possibly other EA strategy games using the same game engine. They are associated with the Windows versions of the listed games.
The files are stored inside the games' big along with other game resources. The games access the audio through these archives during play, so a CDATA file is normally part of the installed game data rather than an independent recording.
This is a proprietary game resource format and is not intended for general audio playback. The term CDATA can also mean character data in other contexts, but that meaning is unrelated to this file type.
Command & Conquer 3 and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for Microsoft Windows can use these files as part of their BIG archives. A CDATA file extracted from an archive generally cannot be opened directly in a standard audio player.
A compatible game-modding or archive-extraction tool may be able to extract or inspect the file, but support depends on the particular tool. Do not edit or remove files from the original archives unless a backup is available.
There is no generally available converter for standalone .cdata files. They are proprietary audio resources intended for use by the associated games, not a normal exchangeable audio format.
If a compatible modding tool can extract the underlying audio, that audio may be exportable to a standard format. The conversion options depend on the tool and on the specific resource; renaming the file extension does not convert it.
Software applications that handle other tasks involving cdata files:
Microsoft Windows
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