A01 File

What are A01 files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an A01 file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your A01 files.

What is an A01 file?

A01 files have multiple uses, and Eschalon Setup ARCV Compressed Container is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Eschalon Setup ARCV Compressed Container

We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

How to open A01 files

Important: Different programs may use files with the A01 file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your A01 file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested three different A01 openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 16, 2026

All known file formats using extension .A01

While Eschalon Setup ARCV Compressed Container is a popular type of A01-file, we know of 3 different uses of the .A01 file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Invision Delta Animation

We know that one A01 format is Invision Delta Animation. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Origin Systems Setup Archive

Origin Systems Setup Archive files are data archives used by Origin Systems, Inc. during the installation or setup of their software or games. They bundle together the files needed for installation into one package, so users or installers can distribute, install, or restore the entirety of the software setup at once.

These .A01 files are written by setup tools developed by Origin Systems, Inc. and are intended to be read by the same or compatible installer utilities. They are not meant for general editing by users; their contents are extracted or deployed during software installation.

Internally, an Origin Systems Setup Archive begins with a signature at the very start of the file. At offset 0 it contains the ASCII string "(C)199" followed by "OriginSystemsInc" further into the header (with trailing zero bytes), and the phrase "ORIGIN SYSTEMS INC." appears somewhere in its content.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of A01 files. Remember, different programs may use A01 files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about A01 file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.