3 Ways to Identify and Open File Without Extension in Windows 10/11

Often, when downloading content from the Internet, we come across certain files that are not identified by the Windows operating system. These files usually have no extension and are difficult to open. In this read, we have listed 3 ways to identify and open such files on your Windows 10/11 system. You can also learn how to fix File Explorer app not responding in Windows 11.

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How to identify a file without an extension?

Before looking at the various methods to open a file without an extension on the Windows operating system, we must learn how to locate and identify a file with no extension. Follow these 2 methods to identify all these files on Windows 10/11.

Use the File Explorer app to determine the presence of any extension files

• Open the File Explorer app on your Windows 10/11 system and navigate in the directory where your unidentified file is located. Click on the To see button.

• Then choose the Detailed view from the list of available display options.

• You can now view the details of all files present in the open directory, including their type.
• Locate and identify all those files that have the ‘File type. These files are known as no extension files and are generally unrecognizable by the Windows operating system.

Access file properties to determine file type

Another method to easily identify a file that has no extension is to use its Properties. Follow these steps to experience the same.

• Right click on the unidentified file and click on the Choice of properties to view file details.

• In the properties window, locate the file type field. If the file type is displayed as ‘File’then your unidentified file is a no extension file.

Ways to Open File Without Extension in Windows 10/11

Now that we have learned how to identify the presence of a file without an extension, let’s take a look at the 3 best ways to find out the extension of these files to open it.

Allow Windows to automatically identify and suggest apps

Microsoft Windows also gives you the built-in feature to detect and suggest related apps this might be useful for opening a file with no extension/unidentified. Follow these steps to open a file with no extension on Windows 10 and 11 using this method.

• Locate and open the directory where your extensionless file is located.
• Double click on the unidentified file to allow Microsoft Windows to detect and suggest associated applications to open it.

• You can choose from the provided suggestions to open the file on your Windows system.

• If you think the application required to open the file with no extension is missing from the suggested list, you can scroll down to click on the Look for another app on this PC option and choose the desired application to open it.

Use free online tools to determine file type

There are many effective free online tools you can use to identify your extensionless file in order to open it. One of these online tools is called FileExt through which you can easily determine file type of your unidentified file. Once you have successfully identified the file type of the file with no extension, you can use the appropriate software to open it.

• Scroll down the page and click the Choose your .check file to scan button.

• Browse and select the extensionless file you detected earlier.
• Wait a few seconds to let the online tool analyze the file type and its extension.
• Once the scan is successful, you can view the File type file without extension.

• You can now download/use the appropriate software needed to open it in your Windows 10/11.

Bonus tip: use offline file type identification programs such as DROID

Another effective tool provided by the UK government to identify the file format of unknown files is called DROID. You can download this tool on your Windows 10/11 system to identify and detect file extensions of these offline files. Follow these steps to get the same result.

• Open a new tab in your web browser and download the DROID Tool from the official site.

• Scroll down the page to locate the Download link for the tool and click on it.

• Extract the downloaded file to your system and double-click the droid batch file to launch it.

• If you are interrupted by the Windows smart screen while launching, then click on the More information option and choose Run anyway.

• Click on the Add a button to add your unidentified file to the tool.

• After browsing and adding the file, click the Start button to let the offline tool identify your file type.
• You will now see the file extension in the format the column of the result.

That’s it. You can now download and use the appropriate software to open this file on your Windows 10/11 system.

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Conclusion: opening files without extension

So that’s a summary of the top 3 ways to open files without extension on your Windows 10 and 11 systems. reading with your friends to help them too. Stay tuned for more Windows troubleshooting how-tos.

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