All about 38 Files

The 38 file type is primarily associated with CamScanner.

38	File extension: 38
	File type:	container file

What is a 38 file?

38 files mostly belong to CamScanner. *.38 files are container files that store different types of data. They do not represent a single format but hide several common file types under one extension.
For example, a large share of these files are scanned PDFs from CamScanner (CamScanner website). They are meant to capture paper documents as digital files.
Other *.38 files may contain:

JPEG images – these come from image processing tools like Photoshop 3.0.

PNG images – often created as macOS screenshots.

ZIP archives – compressed files generated with tools such as 7-Zip that can include data similar to Java Archive (JAR) files (7-Zip website).

FilExt.com tip: The extension serves to group files from different sources under a single label, making them easier to manage despite their varied internal formats.
Files with the extension 38 are often also jpg images or pdf documents, but zip compressed archives or medical images such as DICOM are also common. Use the Online 38 File Viewer on this page to find out the file format being used, and to view your 38 file.

How to open 38 files

You need a suitable software like CamScanner to open a 38 file. You need a suitable software like CamScanner to open a 38 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 38 file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a 38 file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online 38 Text Viewer

Choose your .38 file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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.38 File Not Opening? How to Fix It:

Because .38 files can originate from various programs, they aren't universally openable.

1. Identify the Source: If it came from a mobile scanning workflow, it's likely a CamScanner container file. If downloaded in a sequence, it may be a split archive volume.
2. Check the Header: Open the file in a hex viewer to inspect the first bytes:
   • "PK" indicates a ZIP-based archive.
   • Readable JSON/XML suggests document metadata.
   • Unreadable binary often means a proprietary container.
3. Use the Original Software: You usually need the creating program. Try CamScanner, an archiver like 7-Zip, or ask the sender if unsure.
4. Use this Webpage: Drag and drop your .38 file into our viewer to detect its format, extract readable text, and preview contents.

38 file format:

Each file has a definite file format, that is, how the stored data is arranged in the file. Each file format has a unique extension and almost always a unique signature. For example, Microsoft Word documents have the extension .docx and the signature (usually the first 3 characters in this file) PK. File extension, signature and file format must match; otherwise errors will occur when the file is opened. Exact knowledge of the format is therefore important in order to solve problems occurring in files. Our examination of the 38 files comes to the following conclusion:

The 38 file extension is not found very often and covers different formats for different programs. The following file formats are most commonly found in 38 files:

• 20% of all 38 files are using the well-known PDF file format to store the data. 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. 38 files are between 170 KB and 4 MB in size. The file type was developed only in the last few years. Examples of file names are New Doc 2020-06-01 10.30. Such files are related to nuevo, documento and scanner.
• 20% of all 38 files are based on the well-known JPG file format. JPEG is the standard image format for lossy and compressed image data. These files are binary files, so they do not contain text, but only cryptic characters. The average file size is 240 KB with most files being between 32 KB and 2 MB in size. The following keywords are characteristic: JFIF. Files like these have the following tags: image, reembolso, romario, gastos, mario and cove.

All other 38 files (60%) have no consistent format, such as ZIP, PNG, MP4 and ELF. Often described as screenshot, sticker, emergency, seriously, patience, portrait, posting, backup, early, girls, self or slus. You can get all the details of your 38 file by dragging it onto this page or by clicking the button "Choose your .38 file to analyze" above.