Tips to open ASCII file

Can't open the ASCII file? You are not the only one. Thousands of users face similar problems every day. Below you will find tips on how to open ASCII files as well as a list of programs that support ASCII files.

ASCII file extension

File Name ASCII Text Format
File Category Text Files

The ASCII file is supported on 3 operating systems. Depending on your operating system, you may need different software to handle the ASCII files. Below is a summary of the number of programs that support and open the ASCII file on each system platform.

Operating systems
  • 6
  • 1
  • 2
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is ASCII file?

The file in the ASCII format belongs to the Text Files category. In addition to this file, the Text Files category includes 440 related files. ASCII Text Format appears on 3 operating systems as a functional file. The file will work on Linux, Mac OS, Windows systems, unfortunately not on others. This file type can also be opened by 8 other programs. Windows Notepad, Nvu, ABC Amber Text Converter, NotePad++ text editor will apply when it is not possible to use Text editor.

How to open ASCII file?

An often recurring problem with ASCII Text Format is that ASCII is not associated with the correct program file. This is manifested by the fact that ASCII files open in unusual applications or do not have an assigned program. How to solve such a problem?

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the ASCII file icon you want to open. If the operating system has an appropriate application to support it and there is also an association between the file and the program, the file should be opened.

Step 1. Install Text editor

An often overlooked issue is to make sure that Text editor is installed on the computer. This can be achieved by typing Text editor into the operating system search engine. If it is not, installation may solve the problem, as most applications create file associations during installation. Later in this article you will find a list of programs that can open ASCII files.

Step 2. Create association of Text editor with ASCII files

However, it may happen that the application itself does not cause the ASCII file to open in the Text editor application, but you can set it manually. It is most convenient to call the context menu with the right mouse button and select Properties. The displayed window will contain information about the program that supports this type of file. Using the "Change" button we can set the program to handle this type. If there is no software on the list, simply select "Browse" and manually select the directory where the application is installed. The "always use the selected program ..." field will set the Text editor application as the default for handling the ASCII file.

Step 3. Update Text editor to the latest version

If, however, after binding Text editor with ASCII Text Format there were still problems, you should update the program to the latest version.

Step 4. Check for the following problems with the ASCII file

The problem may also be with the file itself if the above steps don't work. This could be due to the file itself, the cleanest issues are:

The affected file may be 0 KB or smaller than expected. This suggests truncating the ASCII file contents when downloading or copying. The only repair option is to download the file again.
The most common cause here is computer viruses. A virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should fix the problem. Alternatively, you can use the scanners available online. The scan should cover the entire computer, not only the ASCII file that we want to open. Sometimes virus-infected ASCII files cannot be recovered, so make a backup in advance.
Older version of ASCII file may not always be supported by the latest software version. On their websites, developers usually offer free solutions to such problems, e.g. in the form of a conversion program or an older version of the program.
There can be many reasons for this. Repairing is very dependent on the file type. Some programs offer the ability to automatically repair ASCII file corruption.
When reading, a message appears that the file was encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted ASCII files cannot be played on other computers than the one on which they were encrypted, they must be decrypted before using on another device.
The operating system protects files in some locations (e.g. the root of the system partition) against unauthorized access. The problem is only writing to the file, not reading it. It is best to move ASCII to a different directory.
This problem usually affects more complex files. In this case, the ASCII file is blocked by the first application to open it. Closing other programs should help. If the error persists after closing other programs, wait for a while. Antivirus programs or a backup being made may lock the file for a while without the user's knowledge. If the problem persists, restart the machine.