File extension BAK
| File type | Backup Plus Backup Format |
| Developer | N/A |
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What is a BAK file?
The extension .BAK refers to files of the type, generic backup files. These are the files created by Windows based software on the PC that want to store the database backup information relating to the user's data.
The BAK files are created automatically by the software and contain the contents of the original documents. The user can use the backup files as the original content just by removing the BAK extension and adding the relevant file extension to access the data. Many a times, the auto save files also have .BAK extension. The Backup files are extremely useful in system restore and upgrade process.
Program(s) that can open the .BAK file
How to open BAK files
If you cannot open the BAK file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports BAK among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the BAK file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the BAK format files
The inability to open and operate the BAK file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Backup Plus Backup Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a BAK file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the BAK file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the BAK from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the BAK format
- The BAK file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the BAK file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a BAK file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the BAK file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the BAK file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the BAK file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Similar extensions
| .ab | Google Android Debug Bridge Backup Format |
| .aba | Palm Address Book Archive Format |
| .abbu | Apple Address Book Archive Format |
| .abf | Adobe Binary Screen Font Format |
| .abk | Ability Write Backup Format |
| .acp | Alfresco Exported Repository Format |
| .adi | Active@ Disk Image Format |
| .aea | Ae Timer Alarm Document Format |
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.BAK) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected BAK file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the BAK file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. BAK) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.