File extension QCOW
| File type | QEMU Copy-On-Write |
| Developer | David T Reynolds |
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What is a QCOW file?
QCOW is an extension of files specific to software that allows the emulation of operating systems called QEMU. QCOW is a virtual machine (disk) image file that can be run with a program. This solution allows you to run multiple operating systems simultaneously using one physical machine.
QCOW is a tool developed by Fabrice Bellard. It is distributed under the LGPL license.
Program(s) that can open the .QCOW file
Windows
Linux
How to open QCOW files
If you cannot open the QCOW 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 QCOW 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 QCOW file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the QCOW format files
The inability to open and operate the QCOW 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 QEMU Copy-On-Write file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a QCOW file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the QCOW file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the QCOW from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the QCOW format
- The QCOW 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 QCOW file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a QCOW file are out of date.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 QCOW file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the QCOW file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the QCOW file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Updated 11/01/2021
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.QCOW) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected QCOW 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 QCOW 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. QCOW) 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.