Opening a PBN File

The PBN file type is primarily associated with BridgeComposer.

PBN	File extension: PBN
	File type:	bridge notation file

What is a PBN file?

PBN files mostly belong to BridgeComposer.

Portable Bridge Notation (PBN) files mostly store detailed records of bridge card games. They are text-based files that capture game elements such as bidding, card deals, play sequences, and scores. In many cases, you will see markers like [Event], [Deal], and other tags that define the components of a bridge hand.

The primary use of a PBN file is with bridge software including BridgeComposer, Bridgemate, and BridgeBase Online. These applications use the file to review and analyze game play. You can also open these files with any plain text editor if you need to check the notation manually. For further details, visit the site of BridgeComposer or Bridgemate.

Occasionally, a PBN file may not be a bridge record at all. A small number are used as CNC machine programs for systems like the Panasonic PanaCIM NC. These files contain machine instructions similar to G-code and require different software for interpretation.

Bridge Game Format: Contains structured text used to log bridge hands and game details.
CNC Program Variant: Holds machine code for CNC applications, though this use is less common.

FilExt.com note: To open and view a bridge-based PBN file, a text editor can work, but dedicated bridge analysis software will display the data in a more useful format. For CNC files, use the specialized machine control software provided by the manufacturer.

How to open a PBN file

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

Online PBN Text Viewer

Choose your .pbn file to view

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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How to extract texts from PBN files or capture a screenshot to PDF, JPG, DOCX, TXT, ...

If you want to extract texts from PBN file or capture a screenshot, you can use our free Online PBN File Viewer:

Just click the "Choose your .pbn file to view" button on this page.
After your file is opened in browser,
click "Save as..." in the menu.
Then choose the file format (e.g. JPG, PDF, DOCX, TXT, ...) you want.
Download the converted file.

Programs that open and convert PBN files:

BridgeComposer
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. PBN files are often referred to as BridgeComposer games because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Portable Bridge Notation
(stores deals for the card game bridge)

PBN file format:

If you can determine the file format, the associated program can also be determined. The file format can be deduced from the file extension and the signature. 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. Knowledge is power - this also applies when dealing with unknown or faulty files. Below is our analysis of the PBN files:

The PBN file extension is not common and is used by a few programs, each with its own file format. The following file formats are most commonly found in PBN files:

65% of all PBN files are Portable Bridge Notation files. The content consists of readable text data, which can be read using a text editor. The file size is in the range of 680 bytes to 18 KB. The file type was used 20 years ago but is still in use today. The keywords % EXPORT, % PBN 2.1, Creator, Event, [Board "1"], Date, Site, %Content-type: text/x-pbn; charset=ISO-8859-1, West, North, East, South and Dealer are typical for these files. These files are attributed to music, pairs, bridge, boards and teams.
15% of all PBN files have the same signature [Event ". If you open these files in a text editor, you can view and read the content yourself. PBN files can be up to 4 KB in size, but are often around 150 bytes - 3 KB. The files contain the following words: Event, Site, Vulnerable, Date, East, North, South, West, [Board "1"] and [Dealer "N"]. Files like these are sometimes connected to zitting.

All other PBN files (20%) have no uniform format. Files like these are sometimes linked to spel. Just click the "Choose your .pbn file to view" button on this page to find out what your PBN file is.

Technical Data for PBN File Extension

File classification:

Game

Related files:

pbn, bn, nc, zpbn, pnb, bpn, pdn, zip, exe, eit, mco, wwp, txt, xml

Mime type:

text/plain

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: BridgeVu
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Bridge Base Online\NetBridgeVu.exe

a pbn bridge notation file is a special file format and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with PBN files

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