Did you find an AVE file on your computer and wonder what program should open it? Maybe someone emailed you an AVE file but you're not sure how to use it. Perhaps you tried to open the AVE file but Windows told you that it could not open it.
Before you can open an AVE file (assuming it's even a file format that's intended to be viewed or edited), you'll need to determine what kind of file the .AVE file extension refers to.
Some AVE files are Avigilon Video files which is a format used with some video surveillance hardware.
Other types of files may also use the AVE file extension. If you know of any additional file formats that use the .AVE extension, please let me know so I can update this information.
How To Open an AVE File:
The easiest way to open an AVE file is to double-click on it and let your PC decide which default application should open the file. If no program opens the AVE file then you probably don't have an application installed that can view and/or edit AVE files.
Warning: Take great care when opening executable file formats received via email or downloaded from websites you're not familiar with. See my List of Executable File Extensions for a listing of file extensions to avoid and why.
AVE files that are ArcView Avenue Script files can be opened with ArcGIS for Desktop, formerly called ArcView.
If the AVE file you have is an Avigilon Video file, you can open it with the free Avigilon Avigilon Control Center Player.
If you know anything else about AVE files, please let me know so I can update this page.
Tip: Use Notepad or another text editor to open the AVE file. Many files are text-only files meaning no matter the file extension, a text editor may be able to properly display the file's contents. This may or may not be the case with AVE files but it's worth a try.
If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the AVE file but it's the wrong application or if you would rather have another installed program open AVE files, see my How To Change the Default Program for a Specific File Extension guide for making that change in Windows.
How To Convert an AVE File:
There are two main ways to attempt to convert an AVE file to another file type:
- Open the AVE file in its default program and choose to save the open file as another file format.
- Use a File Conversion Online Service or Software Program to convert the AVE file to another file format.
The first option involving opening the AVE file in its native program is preferable because it's both easier and will probably result in a more accurate file conversion. Of course if you don't have a program that opens AVE files, a third-party file conversion tool (the second option) could be very useful.
Important: You cannot usually change a file extension (like the AVE file extension) to one that your computer recognizes and expect the newly renamed file to be usable. An actual file format conversion using one of the methods described above must take place in most cases.
Still Having Problems Opening or Using an AVE File?
Let a community of computer support enthusiasts help out! Post in the PC Support Forum about what kinds of problems you're having with opening or using the AVE file and we'll see what we can do to help.
