Reference number: CH000429

Viewing the contents of a file.

Issue:

Viewing the contents of a file.

Cause:

It may be necessary to view the contents of a file to help discover what the file is or to view the data within the file.

Additional information:

It is important to realize that most files are compiled or written to be only opened with a specific program or application. The below examples are used to open a standard text file. If you are unable to read the file or it appears to be garbage, gibberish, or appear to be encrypted when opened, it is likely it must be opened with the appropriate application. Make sure the program you need to open the file with is installed on the computer and/or that it is associated with the type of file.

• A listing of file extensions / types can be found on our file extension page.
• If you are running Microsoft Windows and are receiving an "Open With" prompt, see document CH000128 for additional information.
• See our file dictionary definition for additional information about this term and related terms.

Solution:

Below is a listing of how to view the contents of a standard file for each of the major PC operating systems:

MS-DOS users

Locate the file that you wish to view. In the below example we will be opening the file autoexec.bat in the directory that we are currently located in.

edit autoexec.bat

Note: If the file typed does not exist, was typed improperly or is empty you will just have a blank edit window.

Additional help and information about edit can be found on our edit page.

Additional MS-DOS users can use the type command to simply display the file contents but not modify them.

Microsoft Windows 95 and above users

Double-click the file that you wish to open. If the file is an un-associated file type you will receive a "Open With" window. If you are unfamiliar with what program to use to open this file try using wordpad or notepad to view the file. Additional information about the "Open With" prompt can be found on document CH000128.

If the file has already been associated but you wish to open it with a different program hold down the Shift key and right-click the file. This should open a drop down menu, select the Open With option and select the file you wish to open the file with.

Unix / Linux users

See document CH000773 for additional information about opening, editing, or viewing a file while in Linux, Unix, or one of the variants.