Did you find an MSDEV file on your computer and wonder what program should open it? Maybe someone emailed you an MSDEV file but you're not sure how to use it. Perhaps you tried to open the MSDEV file but Windows told you that it could not open it.
Before you can open an MSDEV 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 .MSDEV file extension refers to.
Other types of files may also use the MSDEV file extension. If you know of any additional file formats that use the .MSDEV extension, please let me know so I can update this information.
How To Open an MSDEV File:
The easiest way to open an MSDEV file is to double-click on it and let your PC decide which default application should open the file. If no program opens the MSDEV file then you probably don't have an application installed that can view and/or edit MSDEV 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.
As of this writing, I don't have information on any specific applications that will view MSDEV files or open MSDEV files for editing. If you know of any, please send me a quick email and let me know the name of the program so I can update this page.
Tip: Use Notepad or another text editor to open the MSDEV 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 MSDEV files but it's worth a try.
If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the MSDEV file but it's the wrong application or if you would rather have another installed program open MSDEV 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 MSDEV File:
There are two main ways to attempt to convert an MSDEV file to another file type:
- Open the MSDEV 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 MSDEV file to another file format.
The first option involving opening the MSDEV 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 MSDEV files, a third-party file conversion tool (the second option) could be very useful.
Important: You cannot usually change a file extension (like the MSDEV 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 MSDEV 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 MSDEV file and we'll see what we can do to help.
