An EDI file is a data file formatted using one of several Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards. It contains structured data stored in a plain text format and is used for transferring business data between multiple organizations. EDI files are designed to reduce errors, cost, and processing time associated with postal mail, email, and faxes.

EDI files may be saved in various standards. Several common EDI formats are listed below: cXML xCBL ebXML CSV ANSI X12 EDIFACT EDIFICE (Information Technology) EDITRANS (Transportation) ETIS (Telecommunications) Since several EDI standards exist, no single program is designed to open all EDI files. Therefore, the programs below are not guaranteed to open all EDI files. When sending and EDI file, the sender should always confirm the receiving organization is using the same EDI standard.