Metafile functions close, copy, create, delete, retrieve, play, and return information about metafiles. A metafile is a collection of GDI commands that creates desired text or images. Metafiles provide a convenient method of interchanging graphical data.
The following list briefly describes each metafile function:
| Function | Description |
| CloseMetaFile | Closes a metafile and creates a metafile handle |
| CopyMetaFile | Copies a source metafile to a file |
| CreateMetaFile | Creates a metafile display context |
| DeleteMetaFile | Deletes a metafile from memory |
| EnumMetaFile | Enumerates the GDI calls within a metafile |
| GetMetaFile | Creates a handle to a metafile |
| GetMetaFileBitsEx | Stores a metafile as a collection of bits in a global memory block |
| PlayMetaFile | Plays the contents of a specified metafile |
| PlayMetaFileRecord | Plays a metafile record |
| SetMetaFileBitsEx | Creates a memory metafile |