Tips to open MANIFEST file

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

MANIFEST file extension

File Name Windows Application Manifest Format
File Developer Microsoft
File Category System Files

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

Operating systems
  • 7
  • 1
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is MANIFEST file?

The file with the extension MANIFEST is the System Files file type. It was designed by Microsoft. In addition to this file, the System Files category includes 323 related files. Windows Application Manifest Format is supported by 3 operating systems. Although it can be found with greater or lesser success on any operating system, it will only be useful on Linux, Mac OS, Windows. The Microsoft Visual Studio application is recommended to open the file. It was released by Microsoft Corporation. Alternatively, you can use 8 other programs. The Microsoft Windows, ClickOnce, Windows Notepad, NotePad++ text editor programs will also handle the file when the Microsoft Visual Studio program does not fulfill its role.

How to open MANIFEST file?

An often recurring problem with Windows Application Manifest Format is that MANIFEST is not associated with the correct program file. Thus, when you open MANIFEST, the program selection wizard or some other program starts. This problem can be easily remedied.

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the MANIFEST 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 Microsoft Visual Studio

In this case, you should first verify that the Microsoft Visual Studio application is installed on the computer. To do this, enter the name Microsoft Visual Studio into the system search engine. If it is not, installation may solve the problem, as most applications create file associations during installation. Below is a list of programs that support the file MANIFEST.

Step 2. Create association of Microsoft Visual Studio with MANIFEST files

If, despite the installed application, the MANIFEST file does not start in the Microsoft Visual Studio application, you must create a file association. 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. It may happen that in the next window there will be no appropriate program - however, this can be corrected with the "Browse" option where you should manually indicate the program location. The "always use the selected program ..." field will set the Microsoft Visual Studio application as the default for handling the MANIFEST file.

Step 3. Update Microsoft Visual Studio to the latest version

If, however, after binding Microsoft Visual Studio with Windows Application Manifest Format there were still problems, you should update the program to the latest version. Some applications allow you to update from the program level, and for others you need to download the installer from the Microsoft Corporation page and install.

Step 4. Check for the following problems with the MANIFEST 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 affected file may be 0 KB or smaller than expected. This suggests truncating the MANIFEST file contents when downloading or copying. Downloading the file again should fix the problem.
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. 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 MANIFEST file. However, remember that not every infected MANIFEST 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 MANIFEST file. 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 the failure. Depending on the type of file, it is necessary to repair it accordingly. Sometimes the program itself has options to repair the most popular MANIFEST file corruption. You can restore the file from a backup or use Microsoft help.
The program indicates that the file is encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted MANIFEST files cannot be played on other computers than the one on which they were encrypted, they must be decrypted before using on another device.
Some of the system directories are excluded from modification. These directories are write-protected to them and it's very hard to fix this problem. If possible, you can try to move the MANIFEST file to another location.
This problem only occurs with more complex files. In this case, the MANIFEST 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 MANIFEST to close. Some anti-virus or backup software may occupy the MANIFEST file for a certain period of time. If the problem persists, restart the machine.