CRAFT File

What are CRAFT files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CRAFT 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 CRAFT files.

What is a CRAFT file?

A .CRAFT file is a Kerbal Space Program (KSP) Spacecraft file.

A Kerbal Space Program spacecraft file stores the exact configuration of a spaceship designed by the player in the Vehicle Assembly Building or Spaceplane Hangar within Kerbal Space Program. It records every part used on the craft, how those parts are positioned, rotated, attached to each other, and how they interact (attachment points, symmetry, staging, etc.). Game writes these files when a ship is saved; game reads them to reconstruct the craft when loaded.

These files are in human-readable plain text. They usually start with metadata lines for ship name, version, description and the type (VAB or SPH). After that follow multiple PART blocks each enclosed in curly braces. Each PART block includes lines for fields like part (identifier), partName, persistentId, pos (position vector), attPos / attPos0 (attachment points), rot / attRot / attRot0 (rotation or orientation quaternions or vectors), mir (mirroring settings), symMethod, rigidAttachment, staging indices (istg, dstg), separation index (sepI), linking to other parts, attachment node names, symmetry, collision settings, mass, cost, size, etc.

Byte signatures include the ASCII string ship= at the very start of the file, along with internal keywords such as PART, LINK, ATTM, ISTG, SQOR, ENGINE, LIQUID, FUEL among others, which appear in the file to define part properties.

How to open CRAFT files

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

While we have not verified the app ourselves yet, our users have suggested a single CRAFT opener which you will find listed below.

Last updated: September 18, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

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

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about CRAFT file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.