How to open files in Windows with different file extensions

Posted on February 24, 2008 at 6:44 am

I’ve always wanted to write a resource article on how to open file with different file extensions, such as .wps, .prn, .mpp, .mdi, .rar, .psd, .pps, .sit, .nrg and lots more! I’ve come across this issue myself many times (usually because I download from BitTorrent sites or because someone sent me a file) and I have no idea which program opens it!

So if you come across a file with a strange extension you have never seen before, there are a couple of ways you can identify which program opens that file. I’m going to go through some of most common file types that people need to open, but if it’s not in my list, check at the bottom of the post because there are some cool web sites you can use that will take your file, analyze it, and tell you which program it is originally from so that you can open it.

How to open PRN file

A PRN file is what you end up getting when you check the “Print to file” option from Windows. It’s a special file that contains the print job in a format that can be understood by the printer, such as what to print, the tray to use, the paper size, etc. Normally, when you print this file is created transparently in the background before being sent to the printer.

Since the PRN file is actually the instruction set for the printer, it will contain lots of extra garbage data that you won’t understand. It’s almost impossible to open it in Word, Notepad, etc if you try. You can, however, use a a PostScript viewer like GSView to view the file correctly. Normally, however, if someone was intending to send the file to your electronically, you would want them to print it out to a PDF writer, etc as the “Print to file” option is not meant for humans to read!

How to open MPP file

An MPP file is the file extension for Microsoft Project files. Sometimes people unintentionally send this file thinking that everyone has Microsoft Project installed on their computers! Sadly we all do now work at places that can afford that type of luxury. Either way, there are a couple of free and commercial programs that you can use to open an MPP file.

Check out this list of free/paid apps for opening Microsoft Projects files.

How to open PSF file

The PSF file extension can be one of several different types of files. If you have to open a PSF file, it is more likely than not a Photoshop Proof Setup file or a PhotoStudio Graphic. It can also be from Microsoft’s Picture It! software that create slideshows of pictures.

The first way to try an open it would be to download the Picture It! viewer software or try to use Adobe Photoshop. If you don’t have Photoshop, you can try a free photo viewer like XnView.

If that doesn’t work, try to rename the file extension to .JPG instead of .PSF and then open it. Some people have said this method works for opening PSF files.

Also, it could be a PhotoStudio file from Arcsoft, which you can get here. That should hopefully get your file open!

How to open MDI file

MDI stands for Microsoft Document Imaging and is usually created by the Microsoft Office Document Image Writer when you go to print files from Office. This is basically useful for printing documents in electronic format that you can then send to someone else for viewing.

Sometimes Windows will not open this file type even if you have Office installed on your computer, especially if it’s Office 2007 because Microsoft Office Document Imaging is not installed by default.

You can install it by following these steps:

Go to Control Panel and select Uninstall a program link under the Programs section.
Click on Microsoft Office 2007
Click on Change towards the top of the window
Select Add or Remove Features
Expand Office Tools
Click on the drop down list for Microsoft Office Document Imaging and select Run all from My Computer
Click Continue and then Close.

You should now be able to open MDI files with Office 2007 in Windows XP or Windows Vista.

How to open VSD file

A file with a VSD file extension is a Microsoft Visio drawing. In order to view the drawing, you have to have Microsoft Visio installed on your computer. If you don’t, there are several free Visio viewers that are available for free.

Visio 2002 Viewer

Visio 2003 Viewer

Visio 2007 Viewer

Using the Visio 2007 viewer, you should be able to view Visio documents created in Visio 5, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2007!

How to open PUB file

A file with a .PUB extension is another proprietary Microsoft format, this time from Microsoft Publisher! Luckily, if you don’t have Publisher installed on your computer (obviously otherwise you would not be on this site), then you can try to convert the file into another format, such as PDF, etc.

Check out PDFOnline, a cool and free website that converts several different file formats, including .PUB into PDF format. Sadly, there are no viewers, plguins, or anything else for viewing Microsoft Publisher files, so you’ll have to convert it to PDF or tell the person to save it out as a different file type.

There are many other types of files that I have not mentioned here, so I’ll continue with more How to open Windows files as a series of posts. If there’s a file you’re looking to open mentioned above and you can’t, post a comment below and I will help you. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: open prn file, open mpp file, open psf, open mdi, open vsd, open pub

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2 Responses to “How to open files in Windows with different file extensions”

Hallee said on : April 26th, 2008 at 11:07 pm

Thanks so much even though I thought I had already installed it, it was not bringing up any mdi files, so I followed your instructions above and now I can view all of my saved mdi files. Thanks a bunch! I appreciate a website where you can come to and get direct help, instead of having to read through tons of message board help pages!

Junior said on : May 27th, 2008 at 8:15 am

Bom dia, um amigo meu me mandou um programa que eu precisava ver o codigo, mas ele perdeu e ficou so o arquivo com a extenção .com e eu gostaria de saber se podem me informar como abro esse arquivo com extenção .com , preciso ver o código que esta dentro desde arquivo, muito obrigado.