File Extension Library


.PKGDEF File Extension

  • Developer by: Microsoft
  • Category: Developer Files
  • Format: Text

What are .PKGDEF files and how to open them?

Can't open .PKGDEF file? Are you wondering what it contains? On our site we will explain to you what this file is, what it is used for and what software opens the .PKGDEF file.

What is a .PKGDEF file extension?

.PKGDEF file extension is created by Microsoft. .PKGDEF has been classified as Developer Files. The format of .PKGDEF file is Text.

.PKGDEF is Visual Studio Shell File

File created by Microsoft Visual Studio, a Microsoft SDK; contains application configuration settings used to customize an isolated shell application; looks similar to the .REG file.

The Visual Studio isolated shell enables stand-alone applications to run with Visual Studio. The shell is most helpful to use specialized tools from other applications. When these applications that are referenced by Visual Studio are installed, values are created and specified by PKGDEF files.

PKGDEF files were introduced in Visual Studio 2008 and become more prominent with recent versions. In Visual Studio 2010, functions of the PKGDEF file expanded, making the file load and merge operation a standard part of the initialization sequence for the Shell application and IDE.

PKGDEF files are made up of sections defined by a key. The keys appear as [$RootKey$] or [$RootKey$\subkey], $RootKey is the root key of the application. Each section holds name/value pairs in the ValueName=Value format.

The location of PKGUNDEF files in, say Visual Studio 11.0, is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\11.0\Common7\IDE\. It will have the same name as the corresponding .PKGUNDEF file.

NOTE: Any PKGDEF files that aren't declared in the .VSIXMANIFEST file will not be scanned when Visual Studio starts.

List of all softwares that can open the Visual Studio Shell File
Windows
Microsoft Visual Studio 2017

How to fix problems with .PKGDEF files

  1. You need to update the application that you normally use to open .PKGDEF files. Only the latest version of the software supports the current .PKGDEF file format
  2. You need to check the .PKGDEF file for viruses. To do this, you need to scan it with a popular antivirus (Norton, Nod32, Kaspersky, Dr.Web, etc.)