Originally created by the MAME development team, CHD is a lossless compression format designed specifically for arcade and console optical disc images. Unlike standard ZIP or RAR files, emulators can read CHD files directly without extracting them first.
When using CHD ROMs with emulators, users can expect:
The standard tool for creating and manipulating CHD files is called . It is a command-line utility included with MAME.
Converting a single BIN/CUE set to CHD takes about 30–60 seconds per disc on a modern PC. For a full 200-game library, you might need an afternoon. sega saturn chd roms
Excellent standalone options for both desktop and Android devices that read CHDs directly.
RetroArch is the most popular frontend for retro emulation. Both the (highly accurate) and Kronos (great for upscaling) cores feature full, native support for CHD files. Simply load your .chd file via RetroArch’s "Load Content" menu, and the game will launch instantly. Standalone Emulators
Navigate to the folder where chdman is located. The easiest way to do this on Windows is to type cmd in the address bar of the folder window. Originally created by the MAME development team, CHD
If you’ve ever tried building a full Sega Saturn library, you know the pain: a single game can eat 500–650 MB in BIN/CUE format. Enter CHD (Compressed Hunks of Data) – the same format beloved by MAME and PS1 fans. For Saturn, it’s nearly magic… but not perfect.
Modern standalone builds support CHD files perfectly.
CHD (Compressed Hunks of Data) is an open-source, lossless compression format developed by the MAME/MESS team. Unlike ZIP or RAR, which compress a single file, CHD is designed specifically for —including hard drives, CD-ROMs, GD-ROMs (Dreamcast), and DVD-ROMs. It is a command-line utility included with MAME
Download chdman, backup your game discs, and start converting. In an afternoon, you will transform a messy folder of BIN/CUE files into a lean, mean, Saturn-playing machine.
Most modern standalone forks of these emulators support CHD natively.
If you are looking to organize, play, or backup your Saturn collection, moving away from messy BIN/CUE or ISO files toward CHD is the best decision you can make.
Running chdman createcd -i "game.cue" -o "game.chd" will compress your disc image into the CHD format.