Tips to open PCT file

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

PCT file extension

File Name Picture Format
File Developer Apple
File Category Layout Files

The PCT file is supported on 2 operating systems. Depending on your operating system, you may need different software to handle the PCT files. Below is a summary of the number of programs that support and open the PCT file on each system platform.

Operating systems
  • 6
  • 6
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is PCT file?

The file with the extension PCT is the Layout Files file type. The creator of this file is Apple. Layout Files consists of 137 similar files. Picture Format is supported by 2 operating systems. The file will work on Mac OS, Windows systems, unfortunately not on others. This file type can also be opened by 11 other programs. You can use CorelDRAW, Adobe Photoshop, ACDSee, Adobe Illustrator in case Apple Preview cannot be used.

How to open PCT file?

The main problem with Picture Format is that the PCT file is incorrectly associated with programs. This causes the file PCT to open by system applications not designed for this purpose, or to display a message that there is no associated program. This problem can be easily remedied.

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the PCT 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 Apple Preview

An often overlooked issue is to make sure that Apple Preview is installed on the computer. To do this, enter the name Apple Preview 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 PCT.

Step 2. Create association of Apple Preview with PCT files

If, despite the installed application, the PCT file does not start in the Apple Preview application, you must create a file association. The association can be created using the drop-down list available by right-clicking on the file and selecting 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. 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 Apple Preview application as the default for handling the PCT file.

Step 3. Update Apple Preview to the latest version

The fault may also lie with the Apple Preview program, it is possible that Picture Format requires a newer version of the program.

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

The problem may also be with the file itself if the above steps don't work. The most common file problems are:

Very often, the file may be size 0 or incomplete. This is most often caused by a problem while downloading the PCT file. Downloading the file again should fix the problem.
The operating system may be infected with a computer virus. Perform a virus scan using available and up-to-date anti-virus software. Some antivirus vendors also provide free online scanners. For the best results, we will scan the entire operating system, not just our PCT file. However, remember that not every infected PCT file can be recovered, so it is important to take care of regular backups.
This can happen especially when the program is dynamically developed and the structure of the PCT 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. Repairing is very dependent on the file type. Sometimes the program itself has options to repair the most popular PCT file corruption.
The program can also signal the fact of encryption. The encrypted file PCT 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 operating systems do not allow file operations in certain locations, eg in system directories or directly on the system drive. These directories are write-protected to them and it's very hard to fix this problem. It is best to move PCT to a different directory.
This problem only occurs with more complex files. In this case, the PCT 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 PCT to close. Antivirus programs or a backup being made may lock the file for a while without the user's knowledge. If nothing helps, please reset the device.