Tips to open PRN file

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

PRN file extension

File Name Printable Format
File Category Layout Files

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

Operating systems
  • 7
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is PRN file?

The .PRN file is a text file. It is exactly a text file supplemented with printing instructions. Instructions are saved as PostScript. The file can be previewed in a text editor. This is not the best method, because the instructions are also visible, which slightly blur the image of the document. You can change the extension to .XPS to visualize the document. Then the file can be opened by the default program for that application. PRN files are quite rare, as they are usually generated by older programs, especially those launched from the command line.

How to open PRN file?

The main problem with Printable Format is that the PRN file is incorrectly associated with programs. Thus, when you open PRN, the program selection wizard or some other program starts. This can be quickly resolved by following the instructions below.

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the PRN 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 Printer driver that supports PRN files

An often overlooked issue is to make sure that Printer driver that supports PRN files is installed on the computer. To do this, enter the name Printer driver that supports PRN files into the system search engine. If it is not, installation may solve the problem, as most applications create file associations during installation. Below you will find a list of applications that support PRN files.

Step 2. Create association of Printer driver that supports PRN files with PRN files

If the application is or has been freshly installed, but the PRN file still does not use the Printer driver that supports PRN files program, it means no 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. 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 Printer driver that supports PRN files application as the default for handling the PRN file.

Step 3. Update Printer driver that supports PRN files to the latest version

The fault may also lie with the Printer driver that supports PRN files program, it is possible that Printable Format requires a newer version of the program.

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

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

The affected file may be 0 KB or smaller than expected. Usually this applies to PRN files downloaded from the Internet in case the download did not finish properly. The file should be downloaded again, making sure that the process has finished correctly.
The operating system may be infected with a computer virus. A virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should fix the problem. Alternatively, you can use the scanners available online. The scan should cover the entire computer, not only the PRN file that we want to open. As a result of the scan, sometimes it is not possible to recover PRN files, which are deleted if there is a backup of this file, then after restoring it, it must also be scanned.
Older version of PRN file may not always be supported by the latest software version. 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 PRN file corruption.
When reading, a message appears that the file was encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted PRN files cannot be played on other computers than the one on which they were encrypted, they must be decrypted before using on another device.
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. Copying the PRN file to another location will fix the problem.
This can happen on a file that does not support multiple access. Some file types can only be opened in one program at a time. Running programs (including those in the background) should be verified. Sometimes you have to wait for the session to the file PRN to close. However, some background programs may block the PRN file while scanning. If nothing helps, please reset the device.