What Is an ADOC File?

This article explains what ADOC files are, including how to open one and how to save one to a different format.

What Is an ADOC File?

A file with the ADOC file extension is most likely an AsciiDoc file. It's a plain text file that's used to create a formatted document, like an HTML or PDF file.

AsciiDoc is a markup language for writing things like software documentation and notes, but it might also be used as the format for eBooks or slideshows, among other things. Therefore, the extension indicates that the file is using the AsciiDoc language to store this information.

More About ADOC Files

Unlike other markup languages, ADOC files are really easy to use because they're just plain text files that can be read by anyone in their raw, text form, even without an understanding of the language.

Files in this format don't typically remain in a file that has the .ADOC extension, but are instead written with the AsciiDoc language and then translated to HTML, PDF, or some other text-based format. You can see how to do that below.

If your file isn't an AsciiDoc file, it might instead be an Authentica Secure Office Protected Word Document file.

How to Open an ADOC File

Since AsciiDoc files are plain text files, any text editor can open one. See our favorites in this Best Free Text Editors list, but others work, too, like the Notepad application built-in to Windows.

Since most text editors probably don't recognize files that have this extension, you'll have to first open the text editor and then open the ADOC file through the program's menus.

ADOC files usually use special syntax like colons, periods, and brackets so that an AsciiDoc processor can display the plain text in a format that's easy to read. You can learn more about this in Asciidoctor's AsciiDoc Syntax Quick Reference guide.

Authentica Secure Office Protected Word Document files can be opened with Signa Web.

How to Convert an ADOC File

You can translate an AsciiDoc file into HTML, PDF, EPUB, and other formats using the Asciidoctor processor. See the Convert Your First AsciiDoc File guide on the Asciidoctor website to learn how. However, before you can do that, you have to install Asciidoctor.

We're not aware of any file converters that can convert an Authentica Secure Office Protected Word Document file to a different format.

Still Can't Open It?

If you can't open your file using an ADOC opener or converter, then you're probably not actually dealing with this file format. It's easy to confuse a different format with this one because some file extensions look very similar.

As an example, consider ADO files. They look like ADOC files, but are really Adobe Photoshop duotone options files that can only open with Photoshop. Others include the ActivDox document format that uses the ADOX file extension, and Scanstudio 16 color image files (ADC).

Something else you can try if you do have an ADOC file but none of the tools from above seem compatible is to use go ahead and open it with a text editor and look around for some sort of identifying information that might explain the format.

However, remember that even after you try all of this, it's still possible that the format the ADOC file is in is just too obscure. The software might only be available from a hardware device's install CD, for example, but not online.