Tips to open VMT file

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

VMT file extension

File Name Valve Material Format
File Developer Valve
File Category Data Files

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

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

What is VMT file?

The file in the VMT format belongs to the Data Files category. The author of this format is Valve. Additionally, the Data Files category contains 1326 of other files. Valve Material Format appears on 1 operating systems as a functional file. Although it can be found with greater or lesser success on any operating system, it will only be useful on Windows. There are also 5 alternative programs to handle the VMT file. The QuArK, Hammer Editor, VTFEdit, Half-Life 2 programs will also handle the file when the Valve Source SDK program does not fulfill its role.

How to open VMT file?

The most common problem when using Valve Material Format is that a specific VMT is not associated with the program. Thus, when you open VMT, the program selection wizard or some other program starts. How to solve such a problem?

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the VMT 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 Valve Source SDK

In this case, you should first verify that the Valve Source SDK application is installed on the computer. To do this, enter the name Valve Source SDK 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 VMT.

Step 2. Create association of Valve Source SDK with VMT files

If the application is or has been freshly installed, but the VMT file still does not use the Valve Source SDK program, it means no association. 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. 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. Checking the "Always use the selected program ..." box will permanently associate the VMT file with the Valve Source SDK program.

Step 3. Update Valve Source SDK to the latest version

The fault may also lie with the Valve Source SDK program, it is possible that Valve Material Format requires a newer version of the program.

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

The problem may also be with the file itself if the above steps don't work. This could be due to the file itself, the cleanest issues are:

The VMT file may be unusually small compared to the original file. This suggests truncating the VMT 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. For the best results, we will scan the entire operating system, not just our VMT file. However, remember that not every infected VMT file can be recovered, so it is important to take care of regular backups.
Older version of VMT file may not always be supported by the latest software version. These problems are known and are often very easy to fix using the software developers's website.
There can be many reasons for this. Repairing is very dependent on the file type. Some programs offer the option of recovering data from damaged VMT files.
The program can also signal the fact of encryption. The encrypted VMT files can be used by the device on which they were encrypted, on any other device it is required to have the appropriate cryptographic key and decrypt the file before its recovery.
Some operating systems do not allow file operations in certain locations, eg in system directories or directly on the system drive. The problem is only writing to the file, not reading it. If possible, you can try to move the VMT file to another location.
This can happen on a file that does not support multiple access. In this case, the VMT file is blocked by the first application to open it. Closing other programs should help. If the error persists after closing other programs, wait for a while. Antivirus programs or a backup being made may lock the file for a while without the user's knowledge. If the problem persists, restart the machine.