How to open .EZ files on Windows

To open .EZ files on Windows, if you have Andrew/AUIS (Andrew Toolkit) tools installed, open the file from within the EZ editor (or use Open With and select that tool).

Step-by-step instructions

  1. If you have Andrew/AUIS (Andrew Toolkit) tools installed, open the file from within the EZ editor (or use Open With and select that tool).
  2. If you do not have Andrew tools on Windows, transfer the .ez file to a system where AUIS/ATK tools are available and open it there (this is often the most practical approach).

Alternative methods

  • Open .EZ in a browser-based viewer if desktop apps fail.
  • Try opening .EZ on Windows with a secondary app to rule out app-specific issues.
  • Convert .EZ only with trusted tools when direct opening is not possible.

Common issues

No app can open the .ez file

Many systems do not have Andrew Toolkit/AUIS software installed, so the OS cannot associate .ez with an appropriate application.

  1. On Linux/desktop systems, install and use an Andrew Toolkit/AUIS application (EZ editor) to open the file.
  2. If you are on iOS/Android, move the file to a desktop system where Andrew tools are available.

The file opens as unreadable text in a generic editor

.ez files may contain structured Andrew “inset” data rather than plain text, so a basic text editor can show confusing markup or binary-like content.

  1. Open the file in the EZ editor / Andrew Toolkit software rather than a generic text editor.
  2. If you only need to view content, ask the sender to export to a more common format from their Andrew environment (if available).

Wrong file type: not an Andrew/EZ document

Some filenames use .ez for other purposes; if the file did not come from an Andrew/AUIS workflow, it may be unrelated despite sharing the same extension.

  1. Confirm the originating application/workflow with the sender (e.g., whether it came from AUIS/Andrew/EZ Word).
  2. If available, check your system’s file type identification (MIME may show application/andrew-inset when it’s an Andrew inset).

Security note

Treat .ez files as untrusted input if they come from unknown sources: they rely on a specific parser (Andrew Toolkit/AUIS), and malformed files could potentially trigger vulnerabilities in that software.

Back to .EZ extension page