Opening an ARC File

The ARC file type is primarily associated with ARC.

ARC	File extension: ARC
	File type:	compressed archive file

What is an ARC file

ARC files mostly belong to ARC by SEA. ARC is a format for lossless file compression and file archiving. It is the native format for the ARC file archiving program from SEA (System Enhancement Associates). The program was written in 1985 and became very popular on Bulletin Board Systems (BBSes), which were the predecessors of dial-up internet. ARC allowed both file compression and combining multiple files into a single archive. The extension was an open format, and the source code was made available. PKARC was a derivative software of ARC, and it also used the ARC file format.
Other Uses:ARC is used by other programs for files of different formats. These include the following.

Norton 360, an internet security and antivirus software
FreeArc, an open source file archiver
Cabela's African Safari, a hunting video game
Insight, a molecular modelling software
Super Mario Galaxy, a Nintendo video game
Schedule Plus, a time management application

The ARC format is also used by Symbian (an operating system for Nokia phones) for backups of phone data. In addition to Super Mario Galaxy, ARC is a part of several other Nintendo video games.

How to open ARC files

You need a suitable software like ARC to open an ARC file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your ARC file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a ARC file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online ARC Text Viewer

Choose your .arc file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

✈

Read our privacy guarantee in Filext’s terms and privacy policy

Please allow ads on our site

This helps us keep our servers running. Then re-upload your file to view it.

Click here to see how to disable the ad blocker for filext.com

Programs that open and convert ARC files:

ARC by SEA
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. ARC files are often referred to as ARC compresseds because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
ALZip (compressed archive file) by ESTsoft
ALZip is a freeware file archiving and compression utility developed by ESTsoft for the Microsoft Windows platform. ALZip can compress and decompress multiple file archives simultaneously. The solution can be used to compress/zip files into eight different file formats such as ZIP, EGG, TAR and others. ALZip can decompress files with the ARC extension. This file format is classified as Compressed. Related links: ALZip Wikipedia Page
Cabela's African Safari (archive file) by Activision Value
Cabela's African Safari is a third-person shooter hunting video game from Activision Value. ARC is an archive file associated with the game. This file format is classified as Compressed. Related links: Cabela's African Safari on Wikipedia
FreeArc (archive file) by Bulat Ziganshin
FreeArc is an open-source file archiving software created by the developer Bulat Ziganshin. ARC is the format of the compressed archive file created by this program. This file format is classified as Compressed. Related links: FreeArc on Wikipedia, FreeArc Respository, Unpack Using PeaZip
Insight (Cartesian coordinate archive file) by Biovia
Insight is a molecular modelling software developed by Accelrys, which is now acquired by Biovia. he program provides a graphical interface to model molecular biological systems. ARC is the Cartesian coordinate archive file in Insight, which contains the details of an atom and its Cartesian coordinates. The file contains an 80-character record. This file format is classified as Data. Related links: ARC File Format, Insight Manual, Insight Datasheet, Biovia on Wikipedia
Norton 360 (backup archive file) by Symentec
Norton 360 is an internet security and antivirus software from Symentec. ARC is the format for backup archive files created by the software. This file format is classified as Compressed. Related links: Norton 360 on Wikipedia
PeaZip (compressed archive file) by PeaZip
PeaZip is a free compressing and decompressing program developed by Giorgio Tani. It supports several compression extensions, with a special feature of handling open-formats. Other than archiving and extracting PeaZip also allows the user to change the type of file, set size limits and encrypt data. PeaZip is available on Windows, Linux and BSD. Pzip can open files with the ARC extension and decompress them. This file format is classified as Compressed. Related links: PeaZip Wikipedia Page, PeaZip
Super Mario Galaxy (archive file) by Nintendo
Super Mario Galaxy is a video game from Nintendo for the Wii console. ARC is an archive file format associated with this game. The ARC extension, known as RARC is also used in other Nintendo games. This file format is classified as Compressed. Related links: RARC File Format, Super Mario Galaxy
WinZip (compressed archive file) by Corel
WinZip is a file compressing and archiving program for Windows. This program grants users to compress and extract file archives and also create data backups. It has support for various compressed file formats.WinZip has AES encryption and password protection security consolidated to make data encryption possible and secure. WinZip can decompress files with the ARC extension. This file format is classified as Compressed. Related links: WinZip Wikipedia Page, A Guide to File Compression by WinZip

ARC file format:

If you know the file format, you can also find out how to open or edit the file. The file format can be deduced from the file extension and the signature. If the file extension does not match the file format, double-clicking on the file will cause an error upon opening. When there is a problem with a file, the first step to solving it is to determine the file format. Below is our analysis of the ARC files:

ARC is a very widely used file extension. The file type covers a large number of different file formats. The two most common formats are as follows:

15% of all ARC files start with the bytes ARC, which are crucial for this file format. The contents of these files cannot be read by a human; only a computer program can interpret the data. The files are on average 1 MB in size and range from 39 KB to 48 MB. The file type is old but is used even today. Files like these have the following tags: boss, game, gallery, plmod, book, creatures, fonts, omake and text.
15% of all ARC files are associated with FreeArc compressed archive files, which internally utilize the well-known FreeArc format. FreeArc is a modern open source file archiver which narrowly outperformed WinZip, 7-Zip, and WinRAR in its "best compression" mode. These files contain neither text nor words, but only data. The files are on average 2 GB in size and range from 10 MB to 35 GB. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as storing. Files like these have the following tags: multi, games, compressed, pack, data, edition and update.

The remaining 70% of all ARC files are files with no common format, such as PAK/ARC Compressed archive, RARC compressed archive, EZBIND archive, Nintendo Yaz0 compressed data, Mii Maker data archive, Madagascar, Internet Archive ARC File Format, GZIP, ZIP, LINK, MMC, MajiroArcV, POD, BURIKO, BAY, war and PackFile. Files like these are sometimes linked to home, freearc, chip, archive, title, ultimate or voice. If you want to find out what your ARC file contains, drag and drop it onto this page.

Technical Data for ARC File Extension

File classification:

Compressed

Related files:

tec, doi, vrm, arch, arcd, acr, arz, xbin, ark, palm, tn, bin, archive, msq, rar, pkpak, check, exe, bm, aw

Mime type:

application/x-internet-archive, application/octet-stream

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: Arc-Archiv, FileType: Arc archive, AppName: WinAce Archiver v2.5
EXEFile: WinAce.exe

ProgramID: File.Arc, FileType: ZipGenius Arc File, AppName: ZipGenius 1.4 Service Release 3

ProgramID: Filzip, FileType: Filzip file, AppName: Filzip
EXEFile: Filzip.exe

ProgramID: Frigate3.open, FileType: ZipMagic ZOO, AppName: Frigate3

ProgramID: PAARC, FileType: PowerArchiver ARC File, AppName: The most powerful Freeware Archive Utility
EXEFile: POWERARC.EXE

ProgramID: PicoZip, FileType: PicoZip Archive, AppName: PicoZip
EXEFile: PicoZip.exe

ProgramID: PowerDesk Archive, FileType: PowerDesk Archive, AppName: PowerDesk

ProgramID: PowerDesk.Archive, FileType: PowerDesk.Archive, AppName: PowerDesk
EXEFile: PDExplo.exe

ProgramID: PowerDesk.Archive, FileType: PowerDesk.Archive, AppName: PowerDesk Pro

ProgramID: StuffIt.Compressed.File.Expand, FileType: StuffIt Compressed File, AppName: StuffIt for Windows 8.0
EXEFile: stuffit.exe

ProgramID: StuffItArchive, AppName: Aladdin Expander

ProgramID: WinZip, FileType: WinZip File, AppName: WinZip
EXEFile: winzip32.exe

ProgramID: WinZip, FileType: WinZip File, AppName: WinZip Executable
EXEFile: winzip32.exe

ProgramID: ZipMagic ARC

ProgramID: Arc-Archiv
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\WinAce\WinAce.exe %1

ProgramID: BitZipper.arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\BitZipper\BITZIPPER.EXE %1

ProgramID: File.Arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ZipGenius 5\zipgenius.exe -open %1

ProgramID: PAARC
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\PowerArchiver\POWERARC.EXE %1

ProgramID: PicoZip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\PicoZip\PicoZip.exe %1

ProgramID: PicoZip.arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\PicoZip\PicoZip.exe %1

ProgramID: PowerDesk.Archive
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Ontrack\PowerDesk\PDExplo.exe %1

ProgramID: PowerDesk.Archive
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\VCOM\PowerDesk\PDExplo.exe %1

ProgramID: StuffIt.Compressed.File.Expand
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Aladdin Systems\StuffIt\\stuffit.exe -expand %1 -from_shell -override_open_tutorial

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\SHAREW~1\WINZIP\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\WINZIP\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: C:\DOCUME~1\ESTELA~1\MYDOCU~1\DEFAUL~1\WINZIP\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: C:\WINZIP\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: D:\EXTRA_~1\SMALLP~1\WINZIP9.0\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: G:\DOWNLO~1\WinZip\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: G:\SW\WINZIP\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: Y:\WINZIP\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: ZipZag.arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ZipZag\zipzag.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\WINZIP~1.1FR\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: StuffItArchive
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Aladdin Systems\StuffIt 7.0\Expander\Expander.exe %1

ProgramID: File.Arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\!Ute\ZipGenius 5\zipgenius.exe -open %1

ProgramID: StuffIt.Compressed.File.Expand
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Allume Systems\StuffIt\stuffit.exe -expand %1 -from_shell -override_open_tutorial

ProgramID: PAARC
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%r\PowerArchiver\POWERARC.EXE %1

ProgramID: IZArc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\IZARC\IZARC.EXE %1

ProgramID: StuffIt.Compressed.File.Expand
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Aladdin Systems\StuffIt Standard\stuffit.exe -expand %1 -from_shell

ProgramID: StuffIt.Compressed.File.Expand
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Aladdin Systems\StuffIt 7.5\stuffit.exe -expand %1 -from_shell

ProgramID: UltimateZip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ULTIMA~1\uzip.exe %1

ProgramID: Filzip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Filzip\Filzip.exe %1

ProgramID: WinZip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\UTILIT~1\WINZIP\winzip32.exe %1

ProgramID: MimarSinan Codex
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L

ProgramID: IZArcARC
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\IZArc\IZArc.exe

ProgramID: uz.arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ULTIMA~1\uzip.exe

ProgramID: PowerDesk.Archive
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\PowerDesk\PDExplo.exe

ProgramID: PAARC
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Accessories\PowerArchiver\POWERARC.EXE

ProgramID: ALZip.arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ESTsoft\ALZip\ALZip.exe

ProgramID: BraZipArc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\BraZip\BraZip.exe

ProgramID: Arc-Archiv
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\WinAce.exe

ProgramID: File.Arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ZipGenius 6\zipgenius.exe -open

ProgramID: UltimateZip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\UltimateZip 2.7\uzip.exe

ProgramID: StuffIt.Compressed.File.Expand
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Smith Micro\StuffIt\stuffit.exe -expand -from_shell -override_open_tutorial

ProgramID: Filzip
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Filzip\Filzip.exe

ProgramID: Arc-Archiv
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\WinAce.exe

ProgramID: StuffItArchive
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Aladdin Systems\StuffIt 7.0.2\Expander\Expander.exe

ProgramID: StuffIt11.Archive.Open.Generic
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Smith Micro\StuffIt11\StuffIt11.exe -o

ProgramID: IZArcARC
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\IZArc\IZArc.exe

ProgramID: LhaplusArchive_arc
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Lhaplus\Lhaplus.exe

Show all 60 listings To Top

an arc compressed archive file is a special file format by SEA and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with ARC files

Associate the ARC file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open compressed archive files. Because only the current version supports the latest ARC file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the SEA manufacturer website after an available ARC update.
To make sure that your ARC file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .ARC file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.