All about BEN Files

The BEN file type is primarily associated with BenWin.

BEN	File extension: BEN
	File type:	binary container file

What is a BEN file?

BEN files mostly belong to BenWin. The BEN file extension appears in several specialized binary formats. Its primary use is as a Bentham data file stored in a Microsoft Compound file format by BenWin.
Other uses include:

Power grid event recording: Files used by GE Power Management’s PhasorPoint Recorder capture power system disturbances. More details are available on the GE Vernova website.

Adobe setup cache file: Files that store installer configuration data for Adobe Creative Suite.

FilExt.com tips: Each BEN file must be handled by its associated software. Do not try to edit these binary files with a basic text editor. Always use the proper tool and keep backups to avoid data corruption.

How do you open BEN files?

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

Online BEN Text Viewer

Choose your .ben file to analyze

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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BEN file format:

Each file has a definite file format, that is, how the stored data is arranged in the file. The file format can be deduced from the file extension and the signature. If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. So you need a detailed analysis of a file to find out the format and the associated program. In the following you will find our evaluation of the BEN files:

The BEN file extension is rarely used and includes a lot of different file formats for different programs. The following file formats are most commonly found in BEN files:

• 20% of all BEN files use the Microsoft Compound File format, which is also known by the name OLE2 Compound Document Format or Composite Document File Format. Compound document files work similarly to real file systems. They contain a number of independent data streams (like files in a file system) which are organized in a hierarchy of containers (like sub-directories in a file system). Header signature for the CFB format with 8-byte Hex value D0CF11E0A1B11AE1 (which looks like "DOCFILE"). The internal containers are called Contents. A typical file size is 8 KB.
• 15% of all BEN files start with the bytes 01 00 04 00, which are crucial for this file format. These are binary files, so they do not contain words or text. The average file size is 1 MB with most files being between 450 KB and 2 MB in size. Several words can almost always be found in the files, e.g. New Record.

All other BEN files (65%) have no consistent format, frequently e.g. AddRemoveInfoDisplayName. Tagged as cache, setup or sample. Just click the "Choose your .ben file to analyze" button on this page to find out what your BEN file is.