Did you find a CFC file on your computer and wonder what program should open it? Maybe someone emailed you a CFC file but you're not sure how to use it. Perhaps you tried to open the CFC file but Windows told you that it could not open it.
Before you can open a CFC 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 .CFC file extension refers to.
Other types of files may also use the CFC file extension. If you know of any additional file formats that use the .CFC extension, please let me know so I can update this information.
How To Open an CFC File:
The easiest way to open a CFC file is to double-click on it and let your PC decide which default application should open the file. If no program opens the CFC file then you probably don't have an application installed that can view and/or edit CFC 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.
CFC files are 100% text based so any text editor, like Notepad, will properly show the contents of the file.
The only program associated with CFC files is the ColdFusion web server. A CFC file can be saved/converted to HTM or HTML to be viewable in a browser but any functionality provided by the ColdFusion server would of course be lost.
If you know anything else about CFC files, please send me a quick email and let me know so I can update this page.
If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the CFC file but it's the wrong application or if you would rather have another installed program open CFC files, see my How To Change the Default Program for a Specific File Extension guide for making that change in Windows.
How To Convert a CFC File:
There are two main ways to attempt to convert a CFC file to another file type:
- Open the CFC 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 CFC file to another file format.
The first option involving opening the CFC file in its native program, ColdFusion Web Server, 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 CFC files, a third-party file conversion tool (the second option) could be very useful. However, considering the text-based nature of a CFC file, there's little reason to use a conversion program.
Important: You cannot usually change a file extension to one that your computer recognizes and expect the newly renamed file to be usable. However, since CFC files are completely text based, you probably can do this with success in this case.
Still Having Problems Opening or Using a CFC 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 CFC file and we'll see what we can do to help.
