FASTA File - opening and understanding
Did your computer fail to open a FASTA file? We explain what they are used for and recommend software that we know can open or otherwise handle your .FASTA files.
What is a FASTA file?
The FASTA file extension indicates to your device which app can open the file. However, different programs may use the FASTA file type for different types of data.
While we do not yet describe the FASTA file format and its common uses, we do know which programs are known to open these files, as we receive dozens of suggestions from users like yourself every day about specific file types and which programs they use to open them.
We are continually working on adding more file type descriptions to the site, so if you have information about FASTA files that you think will help others, please use the Update Info link below to submit it to us - we'd love to hear from you!
How to open FASTA 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 FASTA for different purposes.
While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested 14 different FASTA openers which you will find listed below.
Various viewers for this file format
These apps are known to open certain types of FASTA files. Remember, different programs may use FASTA files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.
 | BioEdit | User submitted |
 | Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis | User submitted |
 | SnapGene Viewer | User submitted |
 | DnaSP | User submitted |
 | SnapGene | User submitted |
 | Serial Cloner | User submitted |
 | Sequencher | User submitted |
 | GENETYX Version Application | User submitted |
 | Unipro UGENE | User submitted |
 | ChromasPro Application | User submitted |
 | ChromasPro | User submitted |
 | DNA Baser Assembler | User submitted |
 | GENtle | User submitted |
 | Spin | User submitted |
Try a universal file viewer
Try a universal file viewer like Free File Viewer. It can open over 200 different types of files - and most likely yours too. Download Free File Viewer here.
Not sure exactly what type of file you are trying to open? Try our new File Analyzer. It is a free tool that can identify more than 11,000 different kinds of files - most likely yours too! It will help you find software that can handle your specific type of file. Download File Analyzer here.