These devices of modern technology have many files like binary files commonly known as binary files. A computer or laptop is full of these types of files. Different CDs have this file. The problem with this format is that not everyone can read the content of these files. Though it’s full of writing those digits are not English only a specific person can read that file. Each binary file has different information served in it.
Many binary file formats contain parts that can be interpreted as text: some computer document files containing formatted text, such as older Microsoft Word, document files, contain the text of the document but also contain formatting information in binary form. This file contains bytes that are intended to be interpreted as something that is not a text character.
In this article, we are going to discuss the Binary file and how we can open a binary file on computers or other devices but for this first, you should know about the binary file or have any idea about how these files work and what is the purpose behind forming this non-text character file. Let’s get started
What Is A Bin File?
Do you have any idea about the file name “Binary file”? A binary file is a file or a part of a computer whose content is not based on simple text characters but in a binary format consisting of a series of sequential bytes, each of which is eight bits in length. This content can not be read by any layman or any computer user.
Only a specific person can understand this language, this content is read or understood by the program or a hardware processor that understands in advance exactly how that content is formatted and how to read the data. The binary file has an extension as (.bin) all the binary files contain different information for different purposes. If you have 2 binary files then you can see that those two will be different from each other.
What Type of Content can a Bin File have?
It can be images, audio, videos, installation, or a CD image file. In some cases, these binary files are saved in binary format and can be opened with any text editor. A bin file can also be a ROM image of Sega video games.
These bin game files can be played on a computer using the Sega Genesis emulator. You cannot use these files such as Binary files unless you are sure about the data they contain and have the appropriate program or app installed.
While some .bin files can contain uncompressed data, not even such files will necessarily be meant for watching or reading. This format is not very famous in recent years because of the popularity of digital media over CDs and DVDs, but it still can be useful when you need to access old data saved on your computer.
It’s an old or outdated method to store data on your Devices. It is usually used with certain anti-virus programs and CD and DVD backup image files. Different applications on your system use the binary codes that the BIN files contain.
How Is Binary File Used?
No normal person can read these BIN files because these are not humanly readable, it requires a special program or hardware processor that knows how to read the data inside the file. Only then can the instructions encoded in the binary content be understood and properly processed.
The content can be understood only by specific system architectures such as Mac computers. A binary file can include some types of header that indicate the type of file. The header might include a few human-readable characters, but a binary file as a whole requires specific software or hardware to read the file and take action.
On the other hand, a user can open a text file in a wide range of editors and make sense of the content without needing any special type of interpreter.
At some interval in between the development process, these text files are sent to the compiler that translates the source code into machine code, byte code, or other programming language. If the compiler generates byte codes, the byte codes will eventually be converted to machine code. Machine codes are then submitted to the computer’s processor in the form of binary files.
The machine code files must target a specific computer platform, which refers to the combination of operating system and hardware architecture. In general ready-to-run programs are identified as binary files and given a filename extension such as .bin or .exe. programmers often talk about an executable program as a binary or will refer to their compiled application files as binaries. These types of files might also be referred to as object code.
How To Open Binary Files?
binary files can’t be opened simply, you have to follow some methods or steps to open up the binary files or bin files. Here are some methods with the help of which you can open the bin file:
1. Burn The File To A Disc:
Here we will discuss some steps for burning the BIN file to a blank disc on your computer:
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Insert The Blank Disc:
Before burning the file, insert a blank disc into your computer’s disc drive. You can usually find this disc drive on the side of a laptop or the front side of your computer stand, where you can push a small button to eject the drive and place your disc in the open space.
While you can also use a disc that contains images or videos, it’s important to make sure any disc you choose has enough space for the items in your BIN file, so a blank disc is often best for this purpose.
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Search For A CUE File:
When burning a BIN file, you may also need to find the related CUE file on your computer, a CUE file is a plain text file that contains the organization of tracks on a CD or DVD, so it can be useful for burning the information of a BIN file accurately onto a disc. CUE files typically live in the same folder as their corresponding BIN files and have the same file name but with the .cue extension.
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Find A Burning Program:
There are many options for disc burning programs online, but it is important to search that accept BIN or CUE format. Nowadays BIN files are not as common as in the past, there are typically only a few options for burning programs that accept these files.
Once you find the program, you can install it on your computer and run it. This will open up the dialogue box that prompts you to choose a disc. You can then find and select the blank disc in your disc drive.
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Load The CUE Or Bin File:
After choosing the disc to which you want to burn your file, the burning program you chose may prompt you to select a file. Depending on the software, it may require either a BIN file, a CUE file, or either of these formats.
Locate the BIN or CUE file you want to upload and select it from your list of files. Double-check to make sure you have chosen the correct file to burn on your blank disc
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Choose Burn:
The burning program you have chosen may give you options like “burn” or “cancel” after you choose a file from your folders. Choose the option to burn so your computer can start copying the contents of the BIN or CUE file onto your blank disc. The size of your file may determine how long it takes to burn your images or videos onto the disc. Make sure you don’t eject the disc.
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Test Your Disc:
When the program finishes burning your BIN or CUE file onto your disc, your computer may alert you that the process is completed. After you receive this message, you can remove your disc from the drive safely.
It’s also an important thing to test that you burned the content of your file onto the disc successfully, so consider finding the disc in your computer’s folder and testing it. You can double-click on the disc icon or right-click and choose “open”. This should open your disc and show you the contents of your BIN file on your computer’s media player.
2. Mount The File To A Virtual Drive:
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Find The Virtual Drive Software:
Search online for a virtual drive. software that allows you to mount, or attach, your BIN file content to the drive so you can view it. A virtual drive acts as a physical disc drive but doesn’t require a physical disc to view the contents of your BIN file. Instead, you can use a virtual drive to create a virtual disc from your BIN and CUE files and open them directly on your computer.
Once you find a virtual drive software, install it on your device.
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Start The Software:
You can start the virtual drive software after installing it. Some programs may start up automatically after installation, but you may have to search for the program’s icon in your application folder for others.
Booting the software should give you the option they choose for a list of files, which you can then mount to the virtual drive and access as a virtual disc. Your BIN and CUE files should be in the same folder on your computer for easy access
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Choose The CUE file:
For most virtual drive programs, you may need to use the corresponding CUE file rather than the original BIN file to access the contents of the file.
Choose the CUE file that goes with the BIN file you want to open and click on it while using your virtual drive’s selection tool. If you want, you can change the name of the file, which becomes a virtual disc, so you can tell it apart from the BIN and CUE files more easily.
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Choose “mount”:
Your virtual drive may provide you with buttons that say “mount”, which you can click to begin mounting your CUE file to the virtual drive and copying the contents as a readable virtual disc. The size of your CUE file can change the time it takes to finish mounting the file to the drive, and it’s important to not cancel or change your options as the drive mounts your file. Once you complete this process, you can open the virtual disc like a regular physical disc on your device.
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Open The Disc On Your Computer:
To ensure the mounting process works, test your virtual disc by finding its location on your computer and opening it. You can double-click or right-click the icon just like with a physical disc. The difference between a mounted BIN disc and a physical disc is that you can only access the mounted disc on your computer using the virtual drive, so it may not be as easy to share as a physical disc. Clicking on the disc icon typically opens your computer’s media player, where you can view the images and videos from your original BIN file.
3. Convert The File Into An ISO File:
Convert a BIN file into a more accessible ISO file using these steps:
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Find A File Conversion Software:
You can convert your BIN file into an ISO file, which is an archival file format that directly copies the contents of your BIN file, with file conversion software. Many of these are available online as web applications or downloadable programs for your computer.
Try to find one that accepts BIN files and can convert them into ISO files. Since ISO files are more widely accepted, you can use them in more ways with more types of software programs to access the contents of the file.
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Locate The “Convert” Tool:
In the conversion software, locate the “convert” tool. You might find this in the tools menu at the top of the program, or it may be under the edit menu, depending on the type of software you’re using. Select the “convert” button with your cursor to open a dialog box in the conversion program. This often opens a list of folders on your computer so you can search for the correct BIN file to convert to an ISO file.
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Choose Your BIN File:
Find the BIN file you want to open and choose it in the conversion program’s dialog box. Be sure to double-check the name and make sure the file extension is .bin instead of .cue. If you have multiple BIN files to convert, you may be able to select a few of them at the same time and convert them all at once, but this often extends the time to complete the conversions.
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Convert The File To An ISO:
Make sure you have the option to convert a BIN file to an ISO file before you continue with the file conversion. After this, you can choose the “convert” or “start” button on the dialog box and wait for your BIN files to become ISO files.
Most programs keep the original BIN files on your computer along with the new ISO versions, so consider your computer’s storage space before converting multiple BIN files at once. Once the BIN file has successfully converted to an ISO, you can delete the original file with the .bin extension to save space, but only if you understand the effect it may have on your computer.
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Mount Or Burn The ISO File:
You can then open your ISO file in the same way as a regular BIN file, but there are more versatile options for burning and mounting it. More software programs accept ISO files than BIN files, so you may have an easier time finding a burning program or virtual drive to mount your ISO file and open it as a physical or virtual disc. Once you burn or mount your ISO file, you can open it like a regular disc on your computer and view the contents.
Different Type Of Data Can Be Stored In A “Bin” File:
There are many types of data available that can be stored in a bin file some of them are:
- Binary data
- Mac binary encoded data
- GOG.com game data
- Atari game ROM
- Emulator BIOS image
- Binary executable file
- Blackberry IT policy file
- Router firmware
- Nintendo Wii game data. In this case, some data is present in plain text, whereas the rest is encrypted
- Video. Although not very popular, the bin file format can contain video too. These are huge files because they usually contain raw, uncompressed video streams
- Unix/ Linux executable file. These are also popular for running scripts
How To Open A “Bin” In IOS/Android?
In iOS, You can use the “Archives” app, which is capable of opening many kinds of compressed files, including the bin format. It is a very lightweight and free app and runs on many old versions of iOS as well.
The following step-by-step process for opening .bin files in iOS:
1. Go to http://theunarchiver.com/archives
Download and install the app using the App Store
2. Open the app. Depending on where you found the “.bin” file ( such as from mail or transferred from your computer or obtained from Safari, etc.) Select the appropriate option and follow the instructions provided.
In Android, you can use the MD.emu.app, which is used to play emulated games that have been popular on retro consoles. Although the MD in the name refers to Mega drive, it can be used to emulate other systems as well.
The following steps are followed for opening the bin files in Android:
1. Go to http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.explusalpha.MdEmu.
Click on the Buy button to buy the app. Depending on your currency settings, you will see the price in the Play Store.
2. Once the app is installed, open the app. The app is mainly designed to emulate old game consoles, so most likely, you will be using this app to play old games, whose files are often distributed in the “.bin” format.
3. Choose “open content” and select the “.bin” file which you wish to open. Depending on how fast your Android device is, the emulation feels a bit slow.
Now you can also enjoy the games on your Android device.
How To Open A “Bin” File In macOS?
you can use the Roxio Toast, disc management, and burning programs for macOS. It is available in two versions, titanium, and Pro, with the latter being costlier.
1. Go to http://www.roxio.com/en/products/toast
Click on the “BUY NOW” button for the versions you want to use, follow the instructions to buy the program, and install the program on your iOS device.
2. Then select the plan of your choice. You will be given options
3. Then start the program and click on “Burn” then choose an appropriate project type. Drag your “.bin” file into the window
4. Configure the output settings. This includes the project a name, specifying what you will use it for, and selecting the target drive. You can also specify any other settings like the number of copies
5. Start burning the images and wait for the process to complete
You now have the contents of your “.bin” file accessible on your optical disc.
When Are You Likely To Come Across The “Bin” File?
These Are The Most Common Uses Of “.Bin” Files:
- You might even come across the bin file extension if you are working at the IT help desk of a company and users need help with opening such files.
- You will most likely encounter such files when dealing with historical data. If you have joined a new company, a previous employee might have stored data in the bin format
- Anti-virus software needs to be kept updated with the latest definition files. These are sometimes distributed in the bin format. Some people prefer letting the updates happen automatically. However, if you want to do it manually, you might regularly encounter “.bin” files.
Programs That Open Or Reference The “Bin” Files:
In Windows Following Are The Programs Used For Opening Bin Files:
- Kega Fusion
- DGen
- Gens+
- HazeMD
- Ages
In Android:
- MD emu
- GENPlusDroid
In Mac or Linux:
- Kega Fusion
Conclusion:
Bin files are old but still in use, scarcely but used. It is used for CD images and some anti-virus programs. It can be anything, an image or sound data for a game or a ROM for an emulator. The Bin file needs a CUE file to go with it. You can burn it on a CD or DVD to open it or mount the images of the vertical drive, or you can also convert it into an ISO format for easy burning or mounting to open it. Roxio Creator NXT Pro 7 is one of the best options for opening a . Bin file. Power ISO is also a good option that you can use for opening BIN.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Can ‘’BIN’’ Files Be Hidden?
Depending on your file manager settings, you might not see such files listed in online directory contents. On Windows, it is possible to hide “.bin” files by setting the “Hidden” attribute of the file.
2. Can “.Bin” Files Be Dangerous?
Since some files having the bin extension can contain executable code, they can put your system at risk if the source of the file is not trustworthy. It is always better to have anti-malware software activated and updated on your system when you open a bin file.
3. How To Send “.Bin” Files Via Email Securely?
Most email clients, as well as service providers, allow the use of bin file extensions as email attachments. Since the data present in such files are of a varied nature and can even be present in a compressed state, such files are not usually blocked.
4. What To Do If Malware Software Prevents You From Opening A “.Bin” File?
Sometimes, anti-malware software detects false positives and unnecessarily quarantines “.bin” files, blocking your access. Yet, you can usually open these files safely using Linux live distribution, especially if you want to access the file in a read-only state.
5. How To Detect A “.Bin” File Received In Another Format?
You can use the “file” utility in macOS and Unix systems to detect the type of data that a file contains. It is possible to download and use this utility on the Windows system also.
6. What Are The Tools To Open A . Bin File?
The choice of tool that is used to open such files depends on what the expected data contains. Usually, disk imaging/ burning software is associated with “.bin” files. Game ROM files needed by old console emulators are also popular in the bin format
