Opening an APPREF-MS File

The APPREF-MS file type is primarily associated with ClickOnce.

APPREF-MS	File extension: APPREF-MS
	File type:	reference file

What is an APPREF-MS file

APPREF-MS files mostly belong to ClickOnce. APPREF-MS files are used as reference files in the ClickOnce deployment system. They are not the application itself but serve as a pointer to the actual ClickOnce application manifest.
When a ClickOnce application is installed on a Windows system, an APPREF-MS file is created. This file contains details in a UTF-16 (LE) text format that reference the application's manifest. This manifest outlines how the application should start.
Key details provided by FilExt.com include:

Launch Mechanism: Acts as a shortcut to run the ClickOnce application.

Deployment Role: It is auto-generated during installation and ties the installed application to its manifest, ensuring the correct version is launched.

Internal Format: Stored in the UTF-16 (LE) encoding format, making it accessible to text editors without specialized software.

FilExt.com tip: More technical details on ClickOnce application manifests can be found on the Microsoft documentation page.

How to open APPREF-MS files

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

Online APPREF-MS Text Viewer

Choose your .appref-ms file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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Programs that open and convert APPREF-MS files:

ClickOnce
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. APPREF-MS files are often referred to as ClickOnce developers because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Application Reference (File) by Microsoft Corporation
The difference between Application Reference files and shortcuts (.LNK) is that the application reference points to the original application URL and not the location of the EXE on the disk. This depends on settings in the ClickOnce manifest. This file format is classified as Text. Program ID is Application.Reference

APPREF-MS format details:

A file format defines how the data in the file is structured. The first characters in a file identify the file format, for example, HTML files start with the bytes <html>. If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. Knowledge is power - this also applies when dealing with unknown or faulty files. Our analysis of the APPREF-MS files produces the following result:

The APPREF-MS file extension is used very often and mainly uses a defined APPREF-MS format. However, the following two file formats are common:

99% of all APPREF-MS files are based on the well-known UTF-16 (LE) file format. UTF-16 (LE) is an character encoding system for Unicode. UTF-16 files can be viewed in any modern text editor. These files start with the two bytes FF FE, the so called byte order mark (BOM). The contents of these files are partially readable by a human. The average file size is 340 bytes with most files being between 290 bytes and 410 bytes in size. The file type was developed only in the last few years. The keywords application, http and Culture are typical for these files. These files can be linked to online, microsoft, client, powershell, exchange, manager, module, application, system and trader.

The remaining 1% of all APPREF-MS files are files with no common format. The category is active, data, prod, fidelity, browser, office, live or tool. If you want to find out which format your APPREF-MS file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .appref-ms file to analyze".

Technical Data for APPREF-MS File Extension

File classification:

Developer

Program ID:

Application.Reference

Related files:

application, manifest, config, lnk, url, exe, cdf-ms, ms, adm, prx, lbx, json, vtf, zip, tvc, dsparty, wag, dll

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: Application.Reference
EXEFile: rundll32.exe dfshim.dll,ShOpenVerbShortcut %1

ProgramID: Application.Reference
EXEFile: rundll32.exe dfshim.dll,ShOpenVerbShortcut|%2

an appref-ms reference file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with APPREF-MS files

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