Tips to open BAR file

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

BAR file extension

File Name Age Of Empires 3 Data Format
File Developer Microsoft
File Category Game Files

The BAR file is supported on 1 operating systems. Depending on your operating system, you may need different software to handle the BAR files. Below is a summary of the number of programs that support and open the BAR file on each system platform.

Operating systems
  • 8
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is BAR file?

The file with the extension BAR is the Game Files file type. The author of this format is Microsoft. Additionally, the Game Files category contains 1509 of other files. Age Of Empires 3 Data Format appears on 1 operating systems as a functional file. The file will work on Windows systems, unfortunately not on others. This file type can also be opened by 7 other programs. The UnPACKer, AoE3Ed, Age of Mythology, BAR Explorer programs will also handle the file when the Age of Empires 3 program does not fulfill its role.

How to open BAR file?

The main problem with Age Of Empires 3 Data Format is that the BAR file is incorrectly associated with programs. This is manifested by the fact that BAR 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 BAR 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 Age of Empires 3

An often overlooked issue is to make sure that Age of Empires 3 is installed on the computer. The easiest method is to use the system search engine by entering the program name Age of Empires 3 in it. If we do not have this program, it is worth installing it, as it will help you automatically associate the file BAR with Age of Empires 3. Below you will find a list of applications that support BAR files.

Step 2. Create association of Age of Empires 3 with BAR files

However, it may happen that the application itself does not cause the BAR file to open in the Age of Empires 3 application, but you can set it manually. The association can be created using the drop-down list available by right-clicking on the file and selecting Properties. The displayed window will contain information about the program that supports this type of file. Changes can be made using the "Change" button. The program should be visible in the window, otherwise it should be selected manually using the "Browse" button and the program installation directory should be indicated. The "always use the selected program ..." field will set the Age of Empires 3 application as the default for handling the BAR file.

Step 3. Update Age of Empires 3 to the latest version

If, despite the association of the Age of Empires 3 program with the Age Of Empires 3 Data Format file, the file still does not open, check the program version and possibly update it to the newest version.

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

If the above steps do not help, you can assume that the file itself is not correct. The most common file problems are:

The BAR file may be unusually small compared to the original file. This is most often caused by a problem while downloading the BAR file. The only repair option is to download the file again.
The most common cause here is computer viruses. A quick virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should clear up any doubts. Some antivirus vendors also provide free online scanners. However, it is important to scan the entire system, not only the file BAR or the program directory. Sometimes virus-infected BAR files cannot be recovered, so make a backup in advance.
This can happen especially when the program is dynamically developed and the structure of the BAR files changes over time. 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 the failure. Depending on the type of file, it is necessary to repair it accordingly. Some programs offer the ability to automatically repair BAR file corruption.
When reading, a message appears that the file was encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted file BAR except for the special designation, works normally, but only on the device where it was encrypted, before transferring it to another machine, decryption is required.
The operating system protects files in some locations (e.g. the root of the system partition) against unauthorized access. These directories are write-protected to them and it's very hard to fix this problem. If possible, you can try to move the BAR file to another location.
This problem usually affects more complex files. In this case, the BAR file is blocked by the first application to open it. Just close unnecessary programs. Sometimes you have to wait for the session to the file BAR to close. However, some background programs may block the BAR file while scanning. If this does not work either, restart the device.