Opening an ESM File

The ESM file type is primarily associated with Fallout.

ESM	File extension: ESM
	File type:	game data

What is an ESM file?

ESM files mostly belong to Fallout by Bethesda. An ESM file contains data used by Bethesda video games such as those in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. It contains records, virtual environments, game configuration, character models/settings, weapons etc. An ESM file may be edited to add cheat codes and other modifications. ESM is also the filename extension of a game data file used by Batman: Arkham Knight video game. A different type of ESM file is a security module used by Europay.

How to open an ESM file

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

Online ESM Text Viewer

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Programs that open and convert ESM files:

Fallout by Bethesda
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. ESM files are often referred to as Fallout games because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Batman: Arkham Knight (game data) by Warner Bros.
Batman: Arkham Knight is an action-adventure video game compatible with Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows platforms. Some game data used by Batman: Arkham Knight is saved in an ESM file. This file format is classified as Game.
Europay (security module data) by Thales
Europay Security Platform is a credit/debit card payment processing technology built into to various card payment hardware (ATM/POS) security modules. It uses an ESM file to store a series of tag length value objects extracted from smart card media. This file format is classified as Encoded.
The Elder Scrolls (game data) by Bethesda
The Elder Scrolls is an open world, action role-playing video game series. Various data used by The Elder Scrolls is saved in an ESM file. This file format is classified as Game.
XnView (image) by XnSoft
XnView is a free image viewer with conversion and editing functionality. It can open, edit, and convert an ESM image saved in Enhanced Simplex format. This image format is obsolete. This file format is classified as Raster Image.

ESM file format:

If you know the file format, you can also find out how to open or edit the file. The first characters in a file identify the file format, for example, HTML files start with the bytes <html>. File extension, signature and file format must match; otherwise errors will occur when the file is opened. If there are problems opening a file, you must first determine the file format used. Our evaluation of the ESM files looks like this:

The ESM file extension is used very often and includes various formats for various programs. The following file formats are most commonly found in ESM files:

65% of all ESM files start with the magic bytes TES, which are always the first bytes of this file format. These files are not pure binary files and are therefore readable and interpretable with a text editor. The average file size is 17 MB with most files being between 250 KB and 240 MB in size. The file type was developed 20 years ago and is still in use today. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as HEDR, CNAM, DATA, MAST, TES4, Skyrim.esm and GRUP. Skyrim.esm or Dawnguard.esm is a typical file name. Files like these have the following tags: fallout, seventy, falloutnv, patch, unofficial, dragonborn, morrowind, oblivion, flower, hearth and fires.
20% of all ESM files use the same file format, which can be identified by the letters "00 02 00 00" at the beginning. The content consists of illegible binary data, which can only be read and interpreted by the associated programs. The files are 26 KB to 67 KB in size, with a median of 26 KB. These files can be linked to person-related data.

All other ESM files (15%) have different formats, frequently e.g. UTF-16 (LE). Files like these are sometimes linked to project, update, girls, core, pack, legacyofthe or base. You can get all the details of your ESM file by dragging it onto this page or by clicking the button "Choose your .esm file to analyze" above.

Technical Data for ESM File Extension

File classification:

Game

Related files:

esp, ddd, bsa, easm, tmp_cap, esnmm, 7z, ems, eps, deu, zip, es3, js, img, ico, exe, ecm, pdf, upk, pex, bio, fos, ssl

Mime type:

application/octet-stream

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: GraphicsConverterPro.esm, FileType: Enhance Simplex, AppName: GraphicsConverter-reg
EXEFile: GraphicsConverter.exe

ProgramID: PhotoLine.Document

ProgramID: TES3.Master, FileType: Morrowind Master Data File, AppName: TES Construction Set
EXEFile: TES Construction Set.exe

ProgramID: TesCsFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Bethesda Softworks\Morrowind\\TES3 Construction

ProgramID: XnView.Image
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\XnView\xnview.exe %1

ProgramID: TesCsFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Bethesda Softworks\Morrowind\\TES3 Construction Set.exe

Show all 6 listings To Top

an esm game data is a special file format by Bethesda and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with ESM files

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