OVR File

What are OVR files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an OVR 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 OVR files.

What is an OVR file?

OVR files have multiple uses, and Borland Overlay is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Borland Overlay File

Files with the ".OVR" file extension are Borland Overlay files, and these are used by Borland compilers such as Turbo Pascal and Borland C++. These files create overlays, which are parts of executable programs that can be loaded into memory when necessary for efficient performance. This makes it so that only the parts of the program being used at a particular time will be loaded into memory, as opposed to having to load the whole program into memory all at once.

Using overlays can be beneficial for legacy systems with limited memory as they allow the program to save memory space. Furthermore, using overlays can increase efficiency as it reduces the amount of occupied memory and furthermore allows other tasks to benefit from the extra available memory.

Developers who use Borland compilers incorporate overlays into their programs by constructing .OVR files, which define the entry points, size, and other details of each overlay. These files are compiled along with the rest of the program to create an executable file that includes all overlay information.

How to open OVR files

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

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

Last updated: July 31, 2023

All known file formats using extension .OVR

While Borland Overlay File is a popular type of OVR-file, we know of 3 different uses of the .OVR file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

The Overlay Maker Overlay File

We know that one OVR format is The Overlay Maker Overlay File. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

OVR opener for Windows

We have identified one OVR opener that is compatible with this specific type of OVR file.

UCDOS Overlay File

We know that one OVR format is UCDOS Overlay File. 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 OVR files. Remember, different programs may use OVR 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 OVR file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.