Opening a COM File

The COM file type is primarily associated with COMMAND.COM.

COM	File extension: COM
	File type:	DOS executable file

What is a COM file?

COM files mostly belong to COMMAND.COM. The COM file is mainly a DOS executable that runs simple programs directly under DOS. Unlike other executable formats, a COM file is stored as a flat binary with no complex header, which means it is loaded entirely into memory when executed.
This file type is traditionally used for command programs. Some COM files work as the core command interpreter (for example, COMMAND.COM) and are essential in a DOS environment. However, analysis has shown that the extension is sometimes applied to files with other internal formats, such as:

PDF documents – which can be opened with browsers like Chrome,

Compressed archives – which may be managed via tools like WinZip,

Image files – such as those using PNG or JPG formats,

Log or JSON files – used by development tools,

Certificates or keys – sometimes seen in management consoles.

If your COM file does not run as expected, it is wise to verify the file’s internal structure using a file identification tool or a hex editor. This helps determine whether the file is truly a DOS executable or if it is a misnamed file of another type.
FilExt.com tip: When running authentic DOS executables, use a command interpreter like COMMAND.COM or an emulator such as DOSBox to view and execute the file.

How to open a COM file

You need a suitable software like COMMAND.COM to open a COM 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 COM file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a COM file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online COM Text Viewer

Choose your .com file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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Programs that open and convert COM files:

COMMAND.COM
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. COM files are often referred to as COMMAND.COM executables because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
AOL by America Online, Inc.
If the file keeps popping up as ??.PAYMENT.AOL or ??.PAYMENT.AOL.COM then it's part of Shopping Assistant. Turn it off: Settings, Preferences, WWW, Shopping Assistant tab.
Command
Executable file.
Common Object Module
DOS or CP/M Executable
Command file, mostly smaller than 64 Kb. Initial file contents are for executables produced by Borland Turbo Pascal 3.0x only; other compilers may leave a different signature and .COM files created using different techniques may have no signature at all (e.g., see the EICAR listing on this page). COM files are structured so that they load completely in memory and execute from there. Note: This file type can become infected and should be carefully scanned if someone sends you a file with this extension. The Mime types used with this association are: application/octet-stream, application/x-msdos-program, application/x-msdownload, application/com, application/x-com. The identifying characters used for this association are - Hex: E9 4A 2C 90 90 CD AB 43 6F 70 79 72 69 67 68 74 20 28 43 29.
EICAR Anti-Virus Test File by EICAR
Following is a complete .COM file in ASCII format. If you cut/paste this text and save it to a file called EICAR.COM you can test your anti-virus software against it. It is NOT a virus, but anti-virus software has been trained to think it is as a test of the AV software installation. Don't panic when your anti-virus software reacts to the file. X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H* The identifying characters used for this association are - Hex: 58 35 4F 21 50 25 40 41 50 5B 34 5C 50 5A 58 35 34 28 50 5E 29 37 43 43 29 37 7D 24 45 49 43 41 52 2D 53 54 41 4E 44 41 52 44 2D 41 4E 54 49 56 49 52 55 53 2D 54 45 53 54 2D 46 49 4C 45 21 24 48 2B 48 2A 0D 0A.
MS-DOS
A COM file is an executable file in MS-DOS compatible operating systems. The name of the file extension .COM stands for the word command ("command"). COM files can also be executed under Windows. A COM file received as an e-mail attachment is usually a virus.
Psion (Organiser CommsLink Setup File) by Psion PLC

COM file format:

To find out what program is needed to open COM files, you need to determine the file format. A file format is determined by the file extension and signature, so JPEG images have the extension .jpg and the first bytes in the file are ÿØÿ. If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. So a detailed analysis of a file is vital in order to determine the format and the associated program. Our evaluation of the COM files looks like this:

COM is one of the most common file extensions and includes various formats for various programs. The two most common formats are as follows:

35% of all COM files store the data in the PDF file format. PDF is short for Portable Document Format, is a file format to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. If you open these files in a text editor, you will see only illegible characters. Most of these files are 49 KB to 1 MB in size. The file type is relatively new. Files like these are about outlook, prod, namprd, details, yahoo, check, gmail and onmicrosoft, and usually contain person-related data.
6% of all COM files save the data in EXE file format. EXE is the abbreviation for executable and is the standard executable file format on Windows. The format can be identified by the letters "MZ" at the beginning. Executable files can also be used to distribute viruses and other types of malicious software (malware). They consist of unreadable binary data. Most of these files are 15 KB to 7 MB in size. The following keywords are characteristic: !This program cannot be run in DOS mode. These files can be linked to business and proposal.

All other COM files (59%) have no uniform format, the following 23 formats can be found: 16bit DOS COM mCrypt encrypted, 16bit DOS COM UPX compressed data, 16bit DOS COM DS-COM Crypt protected, EICAR antivirus test, 16bit DOS COM BIN-Lock repackaged data, 16bit COM executable Graham, TheDraw COM file screen save, PNG, MHTML, JFIF, ZIP, MP4, HTML, KEY, uiZ, http and VERSION. These files are often connected to woman, coupons, dpstexas, hotmail, chegg, booking, videos, email, order or disc. If you want to find out which format your COM file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .com file to analyze".

Technical Data for COM File Extension

File classification:

Executable

Related files:

bat, cmd, dos, cid, com_, com), check, com], exe, zxe, com-, com1, example, online, boot, zip, pif, pdf, ple, html, bcd, unknown, png, jpg, json

Mime type:

application/x-msdownload, 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: comfile, FileType: MS-DOS Application, AppName: %1
EXEFile: %1

ProgramID: Frigate3.edit, FileType: Write Document, AppName: Frigate3

ProgramID: comfile
EXEFile: %1 %*

ProgramID: comfile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\@Home veiligheid\AntiVirus\AVFileMon.exe %1 %*

Show all 4 listings To Top

a com DOS executable file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with COM files

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