What Is an EX_ File?
A file with the EX_ file extension is a compressed EXE file. This format stores an EXE file with a smaller size to save storage space. You might also find the EX_ format within compressed installation files that you download from the internet. Windows can’t execute an EX_ file. For example, you can’t accidentally open one to run the program until the file exists as an EXE file.
How to Open an EX_ File
You’ll first need to convert the EX_ file to an EXE file before you can run the file. You can do that with the expand command from the Windows Command Prompt. However, for this command to work, you have to make Command Prompt work from the correct folder. If you’re using Windows 11, you can right-click an empty space somewhere in the same folder as the file, and select Open in Terminal to immediately focus on the right folder. Or, for other versions of Windows, after opening Command Prompt, use the cd command to change the directory to the one that has the EX_ file. For example: Then, enter this command, substituting file.ex_ with the name of your file (the second new.exe is the name you want to give the expanded file): The new EXE file will be created as named. No changes will be made to the original EX_ file.
Still Can’t Open the File?
If your file doesn’t open at this point, make sure you’re really dealing with an EX_ file. Some file extensions look really similar, and if you confuse another file for one that ends in EX_, and try to open it like you read above, it probably won’t work at all. Some examples of similar file extensions include EX4, EXO, EXP (Symbols Export), and EX (Euphoria source code). If you have any of those files, you’ll probably need a different program on your computer to open/edit/convert it.
