AUR File

What are AUR files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AUR 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 AUR files.

What is an AUR file?

An .AUR file is an AutoREALM Map file.

AutoREALM Map files store complete fantasy role-playing maps created by the AutoREALM program. They preserve all the map's design data - objects like lines, curves, symbols, text, overlays, views, grids, and pushpins - along with settings such as background colors, visibility layers, map comments, measurements, and display preferences. The format enables users to fully save, close, and later reopen a map without losing any editable content or layout.

These files are written by AutoREALM, a freely available Windows program developed by Andy Gryc for drawing RPG maps like castles, dungeons, towns, and landscapes. When saving a map in that program, the map and all of its constituent parts are serialized into this format. Users can reopen and edit them in AutoREALM; other programs generally cannot reliably interpret all the features because of its bespoke structure. AutoREALM also exports to image types (BMP, WMF), but only this native format preserves all vector, layering, and object-based data.

Internally, a file begins with a header identifying it as an AutoREALM map file and stating the format version. The bulk of the file is divided into optional chunks, each with a two-character ID tag and header that bracket particular kinds of data (for example color settings, grid preferences, object definitions). Each object inside an object chunk carries identifying bytes that determine object type (line, curve, polyline, symbol, bitmap, text etc.), overlay number, bounding box, style, points or control points, possibly seed and roughness for fractal types. The file signature starts with the ASCII characters AutR at byte offset zero.

How to open AUR files

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

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

Last updated: August 22, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

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

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