BAK File - opening and understanding
Did your computer fail to open a BAK file? We explain what they are used for and recommend software that we know can open or otherwise handle your .BAK files.
What is a BAK file?
The .bak file extension is used for general backup files. A large number of applications and computer processes use the .bak extension to create backups of documents that the program is creating.
The .bak file extension is a common file extension for the files that are created by the auto-save features that are found in many computer applications. For example, when you are editing a document in Microsoft Word and the auto-save feature kicks in, a .bak file will be created.
Files with the .bak extension are also commonly created before your computer begins to execute a complex operation, ensuring your data will be restored if something happens during the process.
These files are normally automatically deleted by the application that created them when the file is no longer needed.
How to open BAK files
You will need a program compatible with the specific file you are trying to open, as different programs may use files with file extension BAK for different purposes.
While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested 10 different BAK openers which you will find listed below.
Suggest another file format using extension BAK
While we know of one file format using the .BAK 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 .BAK file.
Various viewers for this file format
These apps are known to open certain types of BAK files. Remember, different programs may use BAK files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.
 | Free File Viewer | User submitted |
 | WinRAR | User submitted |
 | Final Media Player | User submitted |
 | Jw_cad | User submitted |
 | AutoCAD | User submitted |
 | Microsoft Office | User submitted |
 | HAANSOFT HWP | User submitted |
 | Adobe Acrobat | User submitted |
 | Finale | User submitted |
 | TEditXna | User submitted |
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