[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"extension:v3:en:br":3},{"resolvedFromAlias":4,"canonicalExt":5,"ext":5,"name":6,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"updatedAt":9,"popularity":10,"summary":11,"howToOs":12,"quickAnswer":18,"answerIntro":19,"whatIs":20,"description":21,"furtherReading":22,"openInstructions":38,"commonIssues":54,"securityNotes":73,"faq":77,"aliases":87,"mimeTypes":88,"relatedExtensions":89,"breadcrumbs":135,"categoryAnchor":145,"categoryFuturePath":146,"metaDescription":147,"availableHowToOs":148,"openOnDeviceLinks":149,"cannotOpenReasons":165,"cannotOpenFixes":166,"convertOptions":167,"securityAffiliateMessaging":168,"securityAffiliates":169},false,"br","Brotli-compressed data","archives","Archives","2026-06-12T09:12:03.735Z",55,".br files contain data compressed with the Brotli algorithm, commonly used for web delivery. You open them by decompressing with Brotli tools or compatible archivers, then opening the extracted original file.",[13,14,15,16,17],"windows","mac","linux","ios","android","To open .BR files on Windows, if the file is part of a website (e.g., \"app.js.br\"), rename/copy it only if needed and plan to decompress it (it is not meant to be opened directly).","To open a .br file, you typically decompress it with a Brotli-capable tool (for example, the official Brotli command-line utilities) and then open the resulting file in its normal app. On the web, .br usually indicates Brotli compression used with HTTP Content-Encoding: br.","A .br file usually stores a Brotli-compressed bitstream defined by RFC 7932. In practice it is often a pre-compressed web asset (such as .js.br or .css.br) meant to be served with HTTP content coding token \"br\" (Brotli). The file itself is not a document format; it is compressed data that must be decompressed to recover the original content.","Brotli is a general-purpose lossless compression format that is widely used for compressing web resources. In HTTP, it is identified by the content-coding token \"br\" and commonly sent via the Content-Encoding: br header, as registered by IANA.\n\nBecause Brotli is used heavily for web delivery, many .br files you encounter are not intended for manual opening. They are often generated during a build/deploy step (for example, producing pre-compressed versions of CSS/JS) so servers can quickly serve compressed responses to compatible browsers.\n\nThe Brotli compressed data format is standardized in RFC 7932, and Google provides a reference implementation and command-line tools that can compress and decompress Brotli streams. Practical guides also commonly treat .br as a Brotli-compressed file that can be decompressed with Brotli utilities or compatible archive tools.",[23,26,29,32,35],{"title":24,"url":25},"IANA HTTP Parameters: Content Coding Registry (token \"br\")","https://www.iana.org/assignments/http-parameters",{"title":27,"url":28},"MDN Glossary: Brotli compression","https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Brotli_compression",{"title":30,"url":31},"google/brotli reference implementation and tools","https://github.com/google/brotli",{"title":33,"url":34},"FileInfo: BR File (Brotli-compressed file)","https://fileinfo.com/extension/br",{"title":36,"url":37},"Wikipedia: Brotli","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotli",{"windows":39,"macos":43,"linux":47,"ios":50,"android":52},[40,41,42],"If the file is part of a website (e.g., \"app.js.br\"), rename/copy it only if needed and plan to decompress it (it is not meant to be opened directly).","Install and use a Brotli-capable tool (for example, the Google Brotli command-line utilities from the brotli project) to decompress the .br into the original file.","Open the decompressed output (such as .js, .css, .html, or .wasm) with the appropriate editor or viewer.",[44,45,46],"If the .br appears as a web asset (like .css.br), treat it as compressed data that must be decompressed first.","Use a Brotli-capable decompressor (for example, the Google Brotli command-line utilities) to decode the .br file to its original form.","Open the resulting file in the app that matches its real type (text editor for .js/.css, etc.).",[48,49],"Decompress the file using Brotli tooling (the reference brotli utilities are commonly used) to produce the original uncompressed file.","Open the decompressed output using the appropriate program (e.g., a text editor for .js/.css/.html).",[51],"There is no common native workflow for directly opening .br as a user file; decompress it on a desktop with Brotli tools, then transfer and open the extracted original file on iOS.",[53],"Android typically won’t open .br directly as a document; decompress it on a desktop with Brotli tools and then open the extracted file on Android.",[55,61,67],{"title":56,"description":57,"steps":58},"Decompression produces an unknown or extensionless file","A .br file is just compressed data; it may not include the original filename or extension, especially when it was created for web serving (e.g., \"main.js.br\" implies the output should be \"main.js\").",[59,60],"Look at the original context or name (e.g., \"style.css.br\" should decompress to \"style.css\").","After decompressing, add the correct extension based on what the file is (CSS/JS/HTML/WASM are common for web assets).",{"title":62,"description":63,"steps":64},"The file won’t open in a browser or editor","Trying to open the compressed .br directly will show garbled data because it must be decompressed first.",[65,66],"Decompress the .br with a Brotli-capable tool (such as the official brotli utilities).","Open the decompressed output with the appropriate program (text editor for source files, etc.).",{"title":68,"description":69,"steps":70},"Website serves a .br file as a download instead of loading normally","On the web, Brotli is meant to be delivered using HTTP content coding (Content-Encoding: br). If a server is misconfigured, it may serve the pre-compressed file as if it were the actual resource or omit the correct headers.",[71,72],"If you manage the site, ensure Brotli is delivered as HTTP content coding \"br\" (Content-Encoding: br) rather than exposing the .br file directly.","Verify the server sets appropriate headers and serves the original resource URL while using Brotli encoding for transport.",[74,75,76],".br is compressed data; decompressing untrusted .br files can consume significant CPU/memory (a common risk with compressed inputs), so be cautious with very large or unexpected files.","Treat decompressed output according to its real type: a .br may contain JavaScript, HTML, or other content that could be unsafe to execute if you weren’t expecting it.","When used on websites, Brotli is an HTTP content coding (\"br\"); server misconfiguration can accidentally expose pre-compressed assets or cause clients to handle data incorrectly, so validate headers and content handling.",[78,81,84],{"question":79,"answer":80},"Is .br a document format?","No. It usually means the file’s contents are Brotli-compressed data; you must decompress it to get the original file (often a web asset like .js or .css).",{"question":82,"answer":83},"What does \"br\" mean in HTTP?","\"br\" is the registered HTTP content-coding token for Brotli. Servers can send responses compressed with Brotli using Content-Encoding: br.",{"question":85,"answer":86},"Why do I see files like app.js.br or style.css.br?","Those are commonly pre-compressed versions of JavaScript or CSS meant to be served by a web server using Brotli compression for faster delivery. They are usually not intended for manual opening without decompression.",[],[],[90,96,102,108,114,120,125,130],{"ext":91,"name":92,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":93,"summary":94,"howToOs":95},"zip","ZIP Archive",93,"ZIP archives are widely used to compress and bundle multiple files or folders for easier storage and sharing.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":97,"name":98,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":99,"summary":100,"howToOs":101},"rar","RAR Archive",66,".rar files are compressed archive containers used to bundle and compress one or more files, often including split (multi-part) archives. They’re commonly opened by WinRAR and can usually be extracted by tools like 7-Zip and The Unarchiver.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":103,"name":104,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":105,"summary":106,"howToOs":107},"bz2","bzip2 Compressed File",65,".bz2 is a bzip2-compressed file, typically used to shrink a single file for storage or download. To use the contents, you usually decompress it with an extractor such as 7-Zip or the bzip2 command-line tool.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":109,"name":110,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":111,"summary":112,"howToOs":113},"7z","7-Zip Archive",64,"A .7z file is a 7-Zip compressed archive, commonly used to bundle and compress files with high compression ratios. Open it with 7-Zip on Windows or compatible archive tools such as WinRAR, Keka, The Unarchiver, p7zip, ZArchiver, or RAR.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":115,"name":116,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":117,"summary":118,"howToOs":119},"gz","Gzip Compressed File",57,"GZ files are compressed using the gzip algorithm, commonly used for reducing file size and bundling files with TAR.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":121,"name":122,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":10,"summary":123,"howToOs":124},"crx","Chrome/Chromium Extension Package (CRX)",".crx is the packaged format used to distribute Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browser extensions. It is essentially a signed wrapper around a ZIP archive containing the extension’s files.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":126,"name":127,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":10,"summary":128,"howToOs":129},"ipa","iOS/iPadOS App Store Package (IPA)",".ipa is the package format for iOS/iPadOS apps. It is essentially a ZIP archive that contains an app bundle (typically under Payload/*.app) and related metadata used for installation and distribution.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":131,"name":132,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":10,"summary":133,"howToOs":134},"obb","Android APK Expansion File (OBB)",".obb files are Android APK expansion files used to deliver large app assets (such as game data) outside the main APK. They are typically used by Android apps and the Android OS rather than opened directly by users.",[13,14,15,16,17],[136,139,142],{"label":137,"to":138},"Home","/",{"label":140,"to":141},"File Extension Index","/file-extension",{"label":143,"to":144},".BR","/file-extension/br","category-archives","/category/archives","Learn what .BR files are, how to open them on every platform, common fixes, and security best practices.",[13,14,15,16,17],[150,153,156,159,162],{"os":13,"label":151,"to":152},"Open .BR on Windows","/how-to/open-br-on-windows",{"os":14,"label":154,"to":155},"Open .BR on Mac","/how-to/open-br-on-mac",{"os":15,"label":157,"to":158},"Open .BR on Linux","/how-to/open-br-on-linux",{"os":16,"label":160,"to":161},"Open .BR on iOS","/how-to/open-br-on-ios",{"os":17,"label":163,"to":164},"Open .BR on Android","/how-to/open-br-on-android",[56,62,68],[59,60],[],"archive",[170,174],{"name":171,"description":172,"affiliateUrl":173},"Avast","Avast offers free and premium antivirus software that protects against viruses, malware, ransomware, and phishing. Scan files before opening them to ensure safety.","https://www.avast.com/lp-aff-consumer-store?expid=inf601",{"name":175,"description":176,"affiliateUrl":177},"Norton","Norton 360 delivers comprehensive antivirus protection, VPN, and identity theft monitoring. Scan files for threats before opening to keep your device secure.","http://buy.norton.com/aff_home?utm_campaign=en-ww_nor_n36_aff_nas_nau_nah_cj_nad_low:_sec_nat_mktc_norton_360"]