.tmp files

Common questions

How do I open a .tmp file?

On Windows use Usually safe to delete; on macOS use Usually safe to delete; on Linux use Usually safe to delete. Working scratch data a program left behind, usually safe to delete.

What is a .tmp file?

Temporary File. Applications write .tmp files while saving, printing or installing, and normally delete them when finished; the ones that survive are leftovers from a crash or a forced quit. They are not meant to be opened and rarely contain anything recoverable, though Office temp files beginning with ~$ occasionally hold an unsaved draft.

Related pages

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• .json — JavaScript Object Notation The standard text format for structured data on the web and in config files.
• .xml — Extensible Markup Language A tag-based text format for structured data, still everywhere in enterprise syst
• .yaml — YAML Data File An indentation-based configuration format, readable but unforgiving about whites
• .log — Log File A plain-text record of what a program did, newest events usually at the bottom.
• .torrent — BitTorrent Metainfo File A few kilobytes of metadata describing what to download and from whom — not the
• .dat — Generic Data File A meaningless extension — .dat says only that some program stored data here.
• .vcf — vCard Contact File One or more contacts as plain text — the standard way to move an address book.
• .sql — SQL Script A text file of database commands — often a full database dump.
• .ics — iCalendar Event A calendar invitation or event feed in a plain-text standard format.
• .sqlite — SQLite Database A complete relational database in a single file — the most deployed database in
• .db — Generic Database File An extension many programs use for their data — it does not identify one format.