.ARROW file extension
To open .ARROW files on Windows, install a language/runtime that supports Apache Arrow (for example, Python with the PyArrow package, or R with the arrow package).
To open a .arrow file, use an Apache Arrow implementation such as PyArrow (Python) or the Arrow R package. These tools can load the Arrow IPC file into memory and convert it to tables/data frames for analysis.
Last updated: June 12, 2026
Open on your device
Choose your operating system for a dedicated step-by-step opening guide.
How to open .ARROW files
Use these platform-specific instructions to open .ARROW files safely.
Windows
- Install a language/runtime that supports Apache Arrow (for example, Python with the PyArrow package, or R with the arrow package).
- Use the library’s IPC “file” reader to load the .arrow file and then convert it to a table/data frame for viewing and analysis.
Mac
- Install Python + PyArrow or R + the arrow package.
- Open the .arrow file using the Arrow IPC file reader (not the streaming reader) and then print/inspect the resulting table/data frame.
Linux
- Install Python + PyArrow or R + the arrow package from your distribution or environment.
- Read the .arrow file using the Arrow IPC file format APIs and then query/convert it as needed.
iOS
- There is no common native iOS app for Arrow IPC files; transfer the .arrow file to a desktop and open it with PyArrow (Python) or the Arrow R package.
Android
- There is no common native Android app for Arrow IPC files; transfer the .arrow file to a desktop and open it with PyArrow (Python) or the Arrow R package.
Security notes
- .arrow is a binary data format and typically does not carry executable code, but parsing untrusted binary data can still expose bugs in readers; prefer up-to-date Arrow libraries when opening files from unknown sources.
- If a .arrow file triggers signature/footer errors, treat it as potentially corrupted or mislabeled input (for example, a non-Arrow binary renamed to .arrow) and avoid forcing it through multiple parsers.
- Arrow IPC files can be large; opening untrusted, very large files may cause high memory usage or denial-of-service conditions in data tools that eagerly load data.
If you did not expect this file
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Can't open this file?
These are the most common causes and fixes when .ARROW files fail to open.
Common reasons
- Tried the streaming reader, but the file won’t open
- The file looks like “garbage” in a text editor
- “Not an Arrow file” / magic string or footer errors
- Schema/type mismatch when reading across languages
Fix steps
- In your tool/library, choose the IPC “file” reader for .arrow files (not the “stream” reader).
- If you’re unsure how it was produced, try both the file and stream readers provided by your Arrow library.
OS-specific troubleshooting
What is a .ARROW file?
A .arrow file is an Apache Arrow IPC file, a standardized on-disk representation of Arrow’s in-memory columnar data. The Arrow format specification describes an IPC file structure with a magic string "ARROW1" and a footer to enable efficient random access. Apache Arrow documentation explicitly recommends the “.arrow” extension for IPC files.
Background
Apache Arrow is a cross-language development platform for in-memory analytics that standardizes a columnar memory format and related IPC (inter-process communication) formats. The IPC formats let systems exchange columnar data efficiently across languages and runtimes, which is why Arrow is widely used in analytics and data engineering pipelines.
The “.arrow” extension is recommended for Arrow IPC files (sometimes described in the R ecosystem as Feather V2). In practice, the same tooling that supports Arrow IPC can read .arrow files and expose them as tables/data frames in Python, R, Java, Go, and other ecosystems.
Arrow has both an IPC file format and an IPC streaming format; they are related but not identical. If a file was produced as a stream (or vice versa), some readers may error out unless you use the matching “file” vs “stream” reader.
Common MIME types: application/vnd.apache.arrow.file, application/vnd.apache.arrow.stream
Further reading
Authoritative resources for more details on the .ARROW format.
- Media Types — IANA (Apache Arrow media types)
- Arrow Columnar Format — Apache Arrow (IPC File Format section)
- Specifications — Apache Arrow (format documentation entry point)
- Streaming, Serialization, and IPC — Apache Arrow Python documentation
- arrow: Integration to 'Apache' 'Arrow' (R package manual PDF)
- Apache Arrow — Wikipedia
Common .ARROW issues
Tried the streaming reader, but the file won’t open
Arrow has both an IPC file format and an IPC streaming format. If you use a streaming reader on an IPC file (or the other way around), you may get errors or truncated reads.
- In your tool/library, choose the IPC “file” reader for .arrow files (not the “stream” reader).
- If you’re unsure how it was produced, try both the file and stream readers provided by your Arrow library.
The file looks like “garbage” in a text editor
.arrow files are binary IPC data, not text; opening them in Notepad/TextEdit will not show meaningful content.
- Open the file with an Arrow-capable tool (e.g., PyArrow or the Arrow R package) rather than a text editor.
- Convert the loaded table to a human-readable format (for example, print a head/preview in your analysis environment).
“Not an Arrow file” / magic string or footer errors
The Arrow IPC file format includes a specific file signature and footer. If the download/copy is incomplete or the file is actually a different format renamed to .arrow, readers may report signature/footer problems.
- Re-download or re-copy the file to ensure it isn’t truncated.
- Confirm the producer actually wrote the Arrow IPC file format (and not the IPC streaming format or another container).
Schema/type mismatch when reading across languages
Arrow is cross-language, but data producers and consumers may disagree on schema details (field names, nullability, nested types), especially when a pipeline evolves.
- Inspect the schema in your Arrow tool/library before processing the data.
- Regenerate the .arrow file with an updated schema or add a compatibility step (e.g., cast/rename columns) after reading.
FAQ
Is .arrow the same as Apache Arrow “streaming” format?
No. Arrow defines an IPC file format and an IPC streaming format. The “.arrow” extension is recommended for IPC files; streaming data is handled by separate “stream” APIs in Arrow libraries.
What MIME types are used for Arrow IPC data?
IANA lists official media types for Arrow, including application/vnd.apache.arrow.file (for the IPC file format) and application/vnd.apache.arrow.stream (for the streaming format).
Can I open a .arrow file in Excel?
Not directly per the Arrow specifications and documentation. A common workflow is to read the .arrow file with an Arrow library (e.g., PyArrow or the Arrow R package) and then export to a spreadsheet-friendly format.
Why do some tools call this Feather V2?
The Arrow R package documentation describes Arrow IPC files as Feather V2 and recommends using the “.arrow” extension for these IPC files.
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