AVI File Type

- The quick facts

What are AVI files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AVI file or just wondering what they contain? We explain what these files are used for and show you software that we know can open or otherwise handle your files.

What is an AVI file?

An .AVI file is an Audio Video Interleave file.

AVI is an acronym for Audio Video Interleave. The .avi file format is a container file format that was introduced by Microsoft in 1992. Container files are a "shell" file that can contain a variety of files within the container file. Container files with the .avi file extension often contain audio and video data.

The data contained in the AVI files may be encoded using different codecs, allowing the files to use less compression than other video file formats, such as the MPEG and MOV file formats. However, AVI files have a 2 GB size limit, restricting their use to some degree. Even though the AVI file format is decades old, it is still one of the most widely-used video file formats in existence today.

How to open AVI files

We have identified 2 AVI openers that are compatible with this specific type of AVI file.

Programs that open Audio Video Interleave files

Last updated: March 17, 2022

Suggest another file format using extension AVI

While we know of one file format using the .AVI file extension, there may be more. It is widespread that different programs use files with the same file extension for very different types of data. Please let us know if you are aware of a different kind of .AVI file.

Various apps that use files with this extension

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