How to open any file

Have you been searching for how to open different file formats??

You have come to the right place. Today I'll show how to open different file types using specific tools or apps. Whether you're a mobile or desktop user, there's something for you.

We always use files, but what is a file?.

A file is a data storage unit in a computer or machine that can be identified using a filename.

There are so many file types ranging from .pdf, .mp3, .mp4 .png, .jpg, .svg, .docx, .xlsx, .zip, .rar,  ... etc. If you are a windows user, you certainly have the necessary tools to open most of the file types mentioned above, but as promised I'll give you tips on how to open any file either on mobile or desktop.

So let's begin!!

• PDF 

.Pdf files are used on a daily basis thanks to their reliability and flexibility. 

For Desktop users:

Right-click on the file and select open with

Then choose any browser and you should be able to open the pdf file or you can download any pdf software reader such as Adobe Reader, Foxit Reader, WPS ....

For Mobile phone users:

You can either click or Long press on the file and you will be prompted to open with either browser or any software preinstalled.

You could also download a pdf reader from Playstore or Appstore. 

• MP3

.mp3 files are audio files. These files can be opened using a variety of audio players.

For Desktop users: 

Repeat the same process above as for pdf formats then select the audio player. Most operating systems come with audio players already pre-installed. But you can download audio players from the internet such as VLC media player

For mobile users:

Repeat the same process above as for pdf files then select the audio player or you just go to Playstore or Appstore and download any audio player.

• MP4

.mp4 files are the most popular video file format even though other video file formats exist and can be opened with so many video players. 

For Desktop users:

Right-click on the file and select open with, then choose the video player or you can download VLC media player or any other video player 

For Mobile phone users:

You can either click or Long press on the file and you will be prompted to open with a video player

You could also download a video player from Playstore or Appstore. 

• PNG , JPG and JPEG

.png, .jpg, .jpeg files are mostly pictures or images, and most operating systems come with image viewers or readers

For Desktop Users:

Repeat the same steps aforementioned or download any image reader from the internet

For Mobile phone users:

Repeat the same steps aforementioned or download an image reader or viewer from Playstore or Appstore

• SVG

.svg files can be opened using web browsers

For Desktop users:

open with any web browser

For Mobile phone users:

open with any browser

• DOCX

.docx files are word documents.

For Desktop users:

Open with Microsoft word or WPS if you're a Windows user and LibreOffice if you're a Linux user.

For Mobile phone users:

Not all phones come with the appropriate word document reader. So you can download either Microsoft's word reader or WPS on Playstore or Appstore.

• XLSX

.xlsx files are spreadsheets files.

For Desktop users:

Open with either Microsoft Excel or WPS if you're a Windows user or LibreOffice if you're a Linux user.

For Mobile phone users:

Open with Excel or WPS or any spreadsheet app downloadable on Playstore or Appstore

• ZIP and RAR

.zip and .rar files are compressed files.

For desktop users:

Open with Winrar, Power ISO, File explorer on windows or any other downloadable reader on the internet

For Mobile phone users

Archivers or File compressors mostly come preinstalled or you can download on PlayStore or Appstore

• Most web-related computer file formats can be opened using notepad.

To sum up, there are so many file formats that exist and if we had to list them all, it'll become exhaustive. I decided to focus on those we mostly use on a daily basis.

I might have omitted some stuff, please feel free to comment below for adjustments.

If you have any questions comment below or contact me and I'll do my best to answer.

Hope the article was helpful

Thanks.