How do I open a .bin file on Windows?

Check for a matching .cue file first. If one exists it is a disc image, so open the .bin with 7-Zip to extract it or load the .cue in ImgBurn to burn or mount it. Without a .cue, identify the file in a hex editor before choosing a tool.

What is the difference between .bin and .iso?

Both are optical disc images. ISO is a standardised single-file format that Windows can mount natively. BIN stores raw sector data and normally needs an accompanying .cue file to describe the track layout.

File extensions

How to open a .bin file

Binary file · Ambiguous / binary

A .bin file is raw binary data with no single meaning. Most commonly it is a disc image that pairs with a .cue file, in which case mount it or open it with an archiver.

What a .bin file actually is

Like .dat, the .bin extension says only that the contents are not text. It shows up as a CD or DVD image, as router and device firmware, as a game ROM, and as the payload half of a MacBinary pair.

The single most useful clue is whether a .cue file sits next to it with the same name. That combination means an optical disc image, and it changes the answer completely.

Why it will not open

Nothing is associated with .bin because nothing can be. Until you know which of several unrelated things the file is, no program is the right program.

Step by step

Windows

01Look in the folder. If there is a matching .cue file, this is a disc image.
02For a disc image, open the .bin directly with 7-Zip to extract the contents, which is usually all you need.
03To burn or mount it instead, use ImgBurn and load the .cue rather than the .bin.
04If it is a game disc image, load it in the relevant emulator, for example PCSX2 for PlayStation 2.
05With no .cue and no obvious source, open it in HxD and read the header before doing anything else.

macOS

01Run "file yourfile.bin" in Terminal to identify the format.
02For disc images, convert with "hdiutil convert file.bin -format UDTO -o file.iso" and open the result.
03Firmware .bin files are meant to be uploaded through the device's own update page, not opened on your computer.

What usually goes wrong

Firmware is not meant to be opened

A .bin downloaded from a router, camera or microcontroller vendor is a flash image. There is nothing to view. Upload it through the device's update interface, and never flash a file whose source you cannot verify.

Programs that open .bin

Our pick, in order. Every one links to the publisher's official download URL and the SHA-256 hash of the installer, so you can check the file before you run it.

Also registers .bin in its manifest

Taken straight from publisher manifests. Some of these handle the format for a narrow purpose rather than as their main job.

Common questions

How do I open a .bin file on Windows?: Check for a matching .cue file first. If one exists it is a disc image, so open the .bin with 7-Zip to extract it or load the .cue in ImgBurn to burn or mount it. Without a .cue, identify the file in a hex editor before choosing a tool.
What is the difference between .bin and .iso?: Both are optical disc images. ISO is a standardised single-file format that Windows can mount natively. BIN stores raw sector data and normally needs an accompanying .cue file to describe the track layout.