Tips to open BIG file

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

BIG file extension

File Name Electronic Arts Game Data Format
File Developer Electronic Arts
File Category Game Files

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

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

What is BIG file?

The file in the BIG format belongs to the Game Files category. The creator of this file is Electronic Arts. Additionally, the Game Files category contains 1509 of other files. Electronic Arts Game Data Format appears on 1 operating systems as a functional file. Although it can be found with greater or lesser success on any operating system, it will only be useful on Windows. The main program that supports this format is FinalBIG. This was created by Matthias Wagner. This file type can also be opened by 14 other programs. AssetCacheBuilder, PlayStation hardware, Dragon UnPACKer, MultiEx Commander will apply when it is not possible to use FinalBIG.

How to open BIG file?

The main problem with Electronic Arts Game Data Format is that the BIG file is incorrectly associated with programs. This causes the file BIG to open by system applications not designed for this purpose, or to display a message that there is no associated program. How to solve such a problem?

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the BIG 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 FinalBIG

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

Step 2. Create association of FinalBIG with BIG files

If, despite the installed application, the BIG file does not start in the FinalBIG application, you must create a file association. This option is available from the level of Properties of a specific file available in the context menu. Information about the file and the program that the file is associated with are available here. Using the "Change" button we can select the desired program. If there is no software on the list, simply select "Browse" and manually select the directory where the application is installed. However, it is important to check the "Always use the selected program ..." box, this will allow you to permanently associate the BIG file with the FinalBIG application.

Step 3. Update FinalBIG to the latest version

If, despite the association of the FinalBIG program with the Electronic Arts Game Data Format file, the file still does not open, check the program version and possibly update it to the newest version. This can be done using the application (if it provides such options) or from the Matthias Wagner website and install the latest version.

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

Of course, it may happen that despite the above steps, the file still does not work. The most common file problems are:

The BIG file may be unusually small compared to the original file. This is most often caused by a problem while downloading the BIG file. The file should be downloaded again, making sure that the process has finished correctly.
The most common cause here is computer viruses. A quick virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should clear up any doubts. If this is not possible, you can use the online scanner. For the best results, we will scan the entire operating system, not just our BIG file. However, remember that not every infected BIG file can be recovered, so it is important to take care of regular backups.
A typical compatibility error - the program does not support the older version of the BIG file. These problems are known and are often very easy to fix using the software developers's website.
There can be many reasons for the failure. The repair method must be adapted to the type of file and damage. Sometimes the program itself has options to repair the most popular BIG file corruption. The easiest way to restore the file is from a backup or by contacting Electronic Arts, but this one can be expensive. Not all damage can be reversed.
When reading, a message appears that the file was encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted file BIG 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. While there is usually no problem reading such a file, it may not be possible to save it. It is best to move BIG to a different directory.
This problem usually affects more complex files. You may find that another program you are using is preventing you from working with the file. Closing other programs should help. Sometimes it is necessary to wait a while before referencing the BIG file again. However, some background programs may block the BIG file while scanning. If this does not work either, restart the device.