All about MGZ Files

The MGZ file type is primarily associated with FreeSurfer.

MGZ	File extension: MGZ
	File type:	compressed data file

What is an MGZ file

MGZ files mostly belong to FreeSurfer. MGZ files serve multiple purposes. The most common type is an MRI data file used with FreeSurfer. In this role, the file contains brain imaging data that has been compressed using GZIP. You can open these files with FreeSurfer tools. More details are available at the FreeSurfer website.
Another use of MGZ files is in gaming. Some MGZ files store recorded gameplay or compressed game data for titles like Age of Empires II: HD Edition. If your file is from a game, you should use the game application to view it. Additional info can be found at the Age of Empires website.
Consider these points:

Examine the file header to see if it uses GZIP (for MRI data) or ZIP compression (for game data).

Use the appropriate software: FreeSurfer for neuroimaging files or the game client for recorded game files.

If the file is simply a compressed archive, a standard decompression tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR can help extract its contents.

How to open MGZ files

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

Online MGZ Text Viewer

Choose your .mgz 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

MGZ file extension format:

The file format determines how the data is stored in the file. The initial characters of a file are called signature, sometimes also referred to as "magic bytes". The signature can be used to infer the file format. Nonetheless, different programs can utilize the same file extension to represent distinct file formats. Double-clicking on the file often results in an error when opening. So a detailed analysis of a file is vital in order to determine the format and the associated program. In the following you will find our evaluation of the MGZ files:

The file type with the extension 'MGZ' includes various formats for various programs. However, the following two file formats are common:

• 45% of all MGZ files store the data in the GZIP file format. Gzip is a compressed archive file format. Gzip (GNU zip) is only capable of compressing a single file. These files are binary files, so they do not contain text, but only cryptic characters. The file size is in the range of 95 KB to 10 MB. The file type was developed only in the last few years. The file name 001.mgz or brain.mgz is typical for these files. Files like these are sometimes connected to aseg, brainmask, mask, aparc, flash, finalsurfs, thalamic, nuclei and orig.
• 25% of all MGZ files use the same file format, which have the signature 00 00 00 00. The contents of these files cannot be read by a human; only a computer program can interpret the data. The average file size is 2 MB with most files being between 1 MB and 4 MB in size. The file name rec.20180601.mgz is typical for these files.

All other MGZ files (30%) have different formats, such as ZIP. They are often associated with recorded or game. Drag & drop your file here to see the file format and a preview of your MGZ file!