File extension QCOW2
| File type | QEMU Copy-On-Write |
| Developer | David T Reynolds |
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What is a QCOW2 file?
QCOW2 is the file extension that is specific to a system emulation and virtualization program called QEMU. QCOW2 is one of the file formats that QEMU uses to store disk images. These files are characterized by the fact that they additionally support AES encryption and zlib compression. These files most often contain data on the virtual machine's hard disk.
QCOW2 files are successors to QCOW files, though these are still supported by QUEMU.
Program(s) that can open the .QCOW2 file
Windows
Linux
How to open QCOW2 files
If you cannot open the QCOW2 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 QCOW2 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 QCOW2 file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the QCOW2 format files
The inability to open and operate the QCOW2 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 QCOW2 file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the QCOW2 file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the QCOW2 from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the QCOW2 format
- The QCOW2 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 QCOW2 file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a QCOW2 file are out of date.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 QCOW2 file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the QCOW2 file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the QCOW2 file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Updated 04/26/2022
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.QCOW2) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected QCOW2 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 QCOW2 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. QCOW2) 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.