Tips to open BSA file

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

BSA file extension

File Name Bethesda Softworks Archive
File Developer Bethesda Softworks
File Category Game Files

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

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

What is BSA file?

The file with the extension BSA is the Game Files file type. It was designed by Bethesda Softworks. Additionally, the Game Files category contains 1509 of other files. Bethesda Softworks Archive is supported by 1 operating systems. These systems consist of Windows, although it may occasionally be found on another system, it will be non-functional. It is recommended to use BSA Commander to handle this file. This is a program created by vasiliy73. This file type can also be opened by 9 other programs. You can use BSA Unpacker, BSA Browser, Dragon UnPACKer, FO3 Archive in case BSA Commander cannot be used.

How to open BSA file?

An often recurring problem with Bethesda Softworks Archive is that BSA is not associated with the correct program file. This causes the file BSA to open by system applications not designed for this purpose, or to display a message that there is no associated program. This can be quickly resolved by following the instructions below.

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the BSA 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 BSA Commander

The first step is to check if the computer has the BSA Commander program installed. To do this, enter the name BSA Commander into the system search engine. If we do not have this program, it is worth installing it, as it will help you automatically associate the file BSA with BSA Commander. Below you will find a list of applications that support BSA files.

Step 2. Create association of BSA Commander with BSA files

If the application is or has been freshly installed, but the BSA file still does not use the BSA Commander program, it means no association. It is most convenient to call the context menu with the right mouse button and select Properties. Information about the file and the program that the file is associated with are available here. 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 BSA Commander application as the default for handling the BSA file.

Step 3. Update BSA Commander to the latest version

If, however, after binding BSA Commander with Bethesda Softworks Archive there were still problems, you should update the program to the latest version. In this case, use the vasiliy73 website or update the program from the application.

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

If the above steps do not help, you can assume that the file itself is not correct. 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 BSA file contents when downloading or copying. The only repair option is to download the file again.
The operating system may be infected with a computer virus. A quick virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should clear up any doubts. Alternatively, you can use the scanners available online. The scan should cover the entire computer, not only the BSA file that we want to open. Sometimes virus-infected BSA files cannot be recovered, so make a backup in advance.
Older version of BSA file may not always be supported by the latest software version. Help should be sought from the software developer, as they usually recommend using free file converters or installing an older version of the program.
There can be many reasons for this. Repairing is very dependent on the file type. Sometimes the program itself has options to repair the most popular BSA file corruption. You can restore the file from a backup or use Bethesda Softworks help.
When reading, a message appears that the file was encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted file BSA 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. The problem is only writing to the file, not reading it. It is best to move BSA to a different directory.
This problem usually affects more complex files. In this case, the BSA file is blocked by the first application to open it. Closing other programs should help. Sometimes you have to wait for the session to the file BSA to close. However, some background programs may block the BSA file while scanning. If the problem persists, restart the machine.