OLD File Type

- The quick facts

What are OLD files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an OLD file or just wondering what they contain? We explain what these files are used for and show you software that we know can open or otherwise handle your files.

What is an OLD file?

Files that contain the .old file extension are most commonly used to indicate that a file on a user's hard drive is a backup copy of a newer version of the file. The .old extension is given to the file name when the newer version of the file is saved within the associated computer application.

The initial file extension is often kept intact when the .old file extension is assigned to a file. For example, if the original version of a file is saved as mydocument.doc, then when a new version of the file is created that version will also be saved with the name of mydocument.doc. However, in order to store a copy of the old version of the file, the original version will be saved with the name as mydocument.doc.old.

How to open OLD files

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

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested 10 different OLD openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: March 17, 2022

Suggest another file format using extension OLD

While we know of one file format using the .OLD 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 .OLD file.

Various apps that use files with this extension

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