FCS File

What are FCS files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a FCS 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 FCS files.

What is a FCS file?

FCS files have multiple uses, and Flow Cytometry Standard format is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Flow Cytometry Standard format

These FCS files contain the textual data and binary data used while reading and writing data from flow cytometry experiments. This data is saved in an array format for analysis. The binary data has three segments: Text segments that contain metadata, segments that contain a matrix of detected expression values, and an analysis segment.

How to open FCS files

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

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested four different FCS openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: July 31, 2023

All known file formats using extension .FCS

While Flow Cytometry Standard format is a popular type of FCS-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .FCS file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Foobar 2000 Columns UI Settings

We know that one FCS format is Foobar 2000 Columns UI Settings. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of FCS files. Remember, different programs may use FCS 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 FCS file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.