AVW File

What are AVW files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AVW 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 AVW files.

What is an AVW file?

An .AVW file is an Analyze AVW Medical Image file.

Analyze AVW Medical Image files store volumetric medical imaging data in the AnalyzeAVW format, used by the Analyze software developed by the Biomedical Imaging Resource at Mayo Clinic. Images often come from scanners for MRI, PET, or CT and capture 2-, 3-, or 4-dimensional data with high fidelity. Data types include signed and unsigned integers, floating point, complex, and 24-bit RGB color.

AnalyzeAVW files are created by the latest versions of the Analyze program. They combine image data and metadata in a single file that begins with a human-readable information block describing dimensions (width, height, depth, number of volumes), voxel size, orientation, patient and exam identifiers, and related parameters. The body of the file contains raw voxel values laid out volumetrically, without per-slice padding, enabling efficient storage and direct access for visualization or image analysis tasks.

Technical details: the file starts with a textual header including the ASCII token AVW_ImageFile and fields like DataType, Width, Height, Depth, NumVols, BeginInformation … EndInformation. Data then follow immediately after the listed offset. Voxel ordering for RGB color uses contiguous runs of full Red, then Green, then Blue volumes.

How to open AVW files

Important: Different programs may use files with the AVW file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your AVW 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 AVW 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 AVW files. Remember, different programs may use AVW 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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File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about AVW file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.