BNVIB File

What are BNVIB files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a BNVIB 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 BNVIB files.

What is a BNVIB file?

A .BNVIB file is a Binary NX Vibration Data file.

Binary NX Vibration Data files store vibration (rumble) sequences used by Nintendo Switch controllers' HD Rumble feature. They encode vibration effects - amplitudes and frequencies for both low-band and high-band actuators - that are played by Joy-Con or Pro Controllers to produce tactile feedback in games.

They are created by Nintendo as part of game assets; during gameplay the Switch console reads these files and sends their contents through HID/rumble commands to controllers. The data defines how strong and how frequent each vibration band is over time, allowing effects such as sharp pulses, loops, or sustained vibrations.

Data is stored in binary form using little-endian byte order. The earliest few bytes identify the vibration type (normal, loop, or loop-and-wait), then include a sample rate and for loop types the loop boundaries and wait durations. Each sample is four bytes: low-band amplitude, low-band frequency, high-band amplitude, high-band frequency. Frequencies are encoded logarithmically so that a frequency byte B corresponds roughly to 10 * 2^(B/32) Hz; amplitude bytes are often scaled (e.g. B/255) to float values.

How to open BNVIB files

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

We have not yet verified any programs for Windows that work with this specific file format. If you know one, please use the 'Suggest a program' link below. Thanks!

Last updated: August 24, 2026

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