SFX File

What are SFX files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a SFX 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 SFX files.

What is a SFX file?

SFX files have multiple uses, and Self-Extracting Archive is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Self-Extracting Archive

When a user needs to transmit large files or large batches of files, they will often compress the files into a compressed archive to make transmission of the files more manageable. The receiver needs a program that can decompress these files to access them. To circumvent this problem, self-extracting archives add a small program to the compressed files that can decompress it when run - hence the same "self-extracting".

Various software applications assign the .sfx file extension when creating a file archive for this purpose, but it is most common to the EXE extension. In that way, a Windows user can run and extract the archive simply by double-clicking on it. If you have an SFX file you cannot access, you can either decompress it using various compression tools or try changing the extension to .EXE so you can run it. Make sure you trust the source of the file as these files, as with any other executable file, may contain malware or viruses if downloaded from untrusted sources.

How to open SFX files

We have identified two SFX openers that are compatible with this specific type of SFX file.

Programs that open Self-Extracting Archive files

Last updated: March 10, 2023

All known file formats using extension .SFX

While Self-Extracting Archive is a popular type of SFX-file, we know of 4 different uses of the .SFX file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Self-Extracting Commodore 64/128 Archive

This archive format is from the Commodore 64/128 and consists of files compressed in the LHA format and appended to a program to extract them. No other program needs to be downloaded or installed in order to extract the archive - simply run the file on a c64 or c128 computer.

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

SoundFX Module

SoundFX is a so-called "tracker" for the Commodore Amiga used to compose music modules. The Amiga was a popular home computer in the 1990s.

Version 2 of SoundFX saved music modules with the sfx2 extension.

EngineX Sound Effects

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