File extension ZIM
| File type | Wiki Archive Format |
| Developer | The OpenZIM Project |
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What is a ZIM file?
The extension .ZIM refers to files of the type OpenZim wiki archive files. This is one of the popular formats for storing wikis. The file archive was developed as a part of the OpenZim project.
The file structure of a wiki article or a wiki file collection is defined in a well-organized manner and there are some predefined rules for storing the questions and answers in a particular format. The .ZIM wiki files are useful in organizing articles, references and other general information in a crisp and compact way. The ZIM wiki archive files are supported by many third party readers like ZIMreader and kiwix.
Program(s) that can open the .ZIM file
How to open ZIM files
If you cannot open the ZIM 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 ZIM 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 ZIM file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the ZIM format files
The inability to open and operate the ZIM 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 Wiki Archive Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a ZIM file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the ZIM file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the ZIM from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the ZIM format
- The ZIM 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 ZIM file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a ZIM file are out of date.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 ZIM file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the ZIM file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the ZIM file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
Similar extensions
| .a1wish | Audials Wishlist Format |
| .a3l | Adobe Authorware Library Format |
| .a3m | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a3w | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a4l | Adobe Authorware Library Format |
| .a4m | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a4w | Adobe Authorware Unpackaged Format |
| .a5l | Adobe Authorware Library 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.ZIM) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected ZIM 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 ZIM 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. ZIM) 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.