How do I open a file with the file extension “FILE?”

Question

From time to time someone sends a file that comes in the extension of .FILE. How do I change this or open this?

I think they might be using Microsoft Word or something like at the office. I don't have Word or any Microsoft programs at home.

I use usually use PDF or JPEG. It isn't for business I am just a home user when I get them.

Answer 1

According to File.org, the .FILE extension is just a generic file extension Windows uses. As it explains:

The .file file extension is a generic extension. This is assigned by Windows and other applications when the file is in an unknown format. These Web applications that designate the .file extension to files in unknown file types are usually Web tools like Internet browsers, FTP client programs, download management applications, email clients and so on. The data stored in these .file files remains unchanged from what it initially contained when it was in its original format. This means a .mp3 file that has been changed to a .file file still contains the same audio data.

To open these .file files, the user must know the original format of the files. The user just needs to simply change the .file extension to the extension of its original file format. To know the original format of a .file file, one option is to look at the default icon that's designated by Windows for the file. For example, if the default icon that's assigned by Windows to a .file is the icon that's normally used for documents in plain TXT format, then the original format of the .file file may be .txt, and after changing the .file extension to .txt, a text editing program like Notepad can be used to open the file.

Users are advised to be careful with .file files that have been downloaded from unverified sources on the Internet, or attached to emails from strangers. It's best to run a scan on these .file files before trying to open them.

So the answer is really, “Who knows?” The best thing to do is to ask whoever sent it to you to explain what kind of file it is. And if you don’t have Microsoft Word, just download LibreOffice which is a free office suite that works on many platforms. If it’s indeed a Word document it should be easy for LibreOffice to open it up and allow you to read or even convert it into another similar format.

Answer 2

Renaming an extension is trivially easy, but is very unlikely to solve the issue - you need to convert it from one format to another (most likely) in order to open it. Linux systems have a very good utility called file that can (mostly) detect the structure of an unknown file extension, such that you can change the extension accordingly. A quick Google indicates that a .FILE file is an unknown extension that has it appended to it by Windows - if you think its a .doc then change the file extension and try it out. Make sure you have extensions enabled, click the file, and hit F2 to change the filename and extension. This can also be done easily in command line by simple renaming it (say, on windows, use ren, or mv on linux [which moves it to a file of a different name, same functionality really]).

There exist many services online to convert a true .doc to a .pdf if needed, and vice versa too. If you need to edit documents but don't have the Microsoft Office suite of programs, consider OpenOffice or LibreOffice instead - they are free alternatives. Adobe Acrobat Pro can edit .PDF files, but this is not free and I would not recommend doing so unless you are changing a few characters only - better to change the source doc file and then re-export to PDF.

Edit: Since you probably use Windows, there may be a utility similar to file on linux/unix systems that you can use - whether command line or graphical, it can help you out on what the extension might/should be.