Tips to open FRM file

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

FRM file extension

File Name MySQL Database Format
File Developer MySQL
File Category Database Files

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

Operating systems
  • 3
  • 1
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is FRM file?

The file with the extension FRM is the Database Files file type. The author of this format is MySQL. In addition to this file, the Database Files category includes 403 related files. MySQL Database Format is supported by 3 operating systems. These systems consist of Linux, Mac OS, Windows, although it may occasionally be found on another system, it will be non-functional. It is recommended to use MySQL to handle this file. This is a program created by Oracle Corporation. Alternatively, you can use 4 other programs. The MySQL Enterprise Edition, MySQL Enterprise Backup programs will also handle the file when the MySQL program does not fulfill its role.

How to open FRM file?

The main problem with MySQL Database Format is that the FRM file is incorrectly associated with programs. This causes the file FRM 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 FRM 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 MySQL

The first step is to check if the computer has the MySQL program installed. To do this, enter the name MySQL 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 FRM with MySQL. Below is a list of programs that support the file FRM.

Step 2. Create association of MySQL with FRM files

However, it may happen that the application itself does not cause the FRM file to open in the MySQL application, but you can set it manually. This option is available from the level of Properties of a specific file available in the context menu. The displayed window will contain information about the program that supports this type of file. Using the "Change" button we can select the desired program. 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 MySQL application as the default for handling the FRM file.

Step 3. Update MySQL to the latest version

If, despite the association of the MySQL program with the MySQL Database 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 Oracle Corporation website and install the latest version.

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

If the above steps do not help, you can assume that the file itself is not correct. File problems can be divided into the following:

The FRM file may be unusually small compared to the original file. This is most often caused by a problem while downloading the FRM file. The only repair option is to download the file again.
The operating system may be infected with a computer virus. A virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should fix the problem. If this is not possible, you can use the online scanner. However, it is important to scan the entire system, not only the file FRM or the program directory. Sometimes virus-infected FRM 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 FRM files changes over time. Help should be sought from the software developer, as they usually recommend using free file converters or installing an older version of the program.
The file may be corrupted in a number of ways. The repair method must be adapted to the type of file and damage. Sometimes the program itself has options to repair the most popular FRM file corruption. You can restore the file from a backup or use MySQL help.
The program indicates that the file is encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted file FRM 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.
Some of the system directories are excluded from modification. The problem is only writing to the file, not reading it. It is best to move FRM to a different directory.
This problem only occurs with more complex files. In this case, the FRM file is blocked by the first application to open it. Just close unnecessary programs. If the error persists after closing other programs, wait for a while. However, some background programs may block the FRM file while scanning. If this does not work either, restart the device.