What is a .MDINFO file?
The file extension .MDINFO stands for iPhone Backup Information File. This type of file is created by iTunes, which was a program developed by Apple to manage digital media. Although iTunes has been discontinued, it was commonly used to create backups of iPhone data.
An .MDINFO file contains metadata, which is essentially data about other data. Specifically, it stores details about the contents of a corresponding .MDDATA file, which is where the actual data from the iPhone backup is kept. The metadata in an .MDINFO file might include information about text messages (SMS), contact lists, and notes from the iPhone.
These .MDINFO files are used primarily to restore information to an iPhone from a backup. This means if you lose data on your iPhone or get a new one, you can use the information in these files to put your old data onto your phone.
To open an .MDINFO file, you can use several different programs. Although iTunes, which was the primary software for handling these files, has been discontinued, you can still view the contents of .MDINFO files using various text editors because the files contain both binary and text data. Some of the text editors that can open these files include Microsoft Notepad, which is included with Windows operating systems, Notepad++, Apple TextEdit (included with macOS), and other generic text editors.
It's important to note that while you can view some of the contents of .MDINFO files with these text editors, they might not display all the data correctly due to the mix of binary and text data in the files. Additionally, iTunes also used .MDINFO and .MDDATA files for backing up data from Apple iPads, not just iPhones.
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