Files with the .CAB extension contain compressed data used in Windows software installations – namely system files, network components, and device drivers. This format is native to Microsoft Windows and supports ZIP, Quantum, and LZX compression.

CAB files are read by the Microsoft System Configuration Utility software, or msconfig.exe for short, which is launched from the system command line. Installers provided by Microsoft, such as the Setup API, Device Installer and AdvPack, usually use CAB file data for installation purposes.