What Is an ORA File?

This article describes the two primary formats that use the ORA file extension, as well as how to open both kinds and how to convert your file to a different format.

What Is an ORA File?

A file with the ORA file extension could be an OpenRaster image file. This format, designed as an alternative to Adobe's PSD format, supports multiple layers, layer effects, blending options, paths, adjustment layers, text, saved selections, and more.

OpenRaster images are structured as an archive format (ZIP in this case) and have a very simple structure. If you open one as an archive, you'll find separate image files, normally PNGs, in a data folder that represent each layer. There's also an XML file that's used to define the height, width, and x/y position of each image, and maybe a thumbnail folder depending on the program that created the file.

If you don't have an image file, your ORA file is probably an Oracle Database configuration file. These are text files that store certain parameters about a database, such as connection entries or network settings. Some common ones include tnsnames.ora, sqlnames.ora, and init.ora.

How to Open an ORA File

An OpenRaster image can be opened in Windows, Mac, and Linux with the popular GIMP image editor. Some other programs that support the format are listed on the OpenRaster Application Support page, which includes Krita, Paint.NET, and other similar software.

Since an ORA file can be opened as an archive, you can take a look inside with a file extraction tool like 7-Zip. This is useful if you want to use the layers separate from the file, like if the program you're using doesn't support the format, but you still need access to the layer components.

ORA configuration files are used with Oracle Database, but since they're just text files, you can also open and edit them with a text editor. See our Best Free Text Editors list for some of our favorite picks.

How to Convert an ORA File

You should be able to use the ORA viewers/editors from above, like GIMP, to export the file to a different image format like PNG or JPG. Please know, however, that doing this will "flatten" any layers in the ORA file, meaning you can't then reopen the PNG/JPG and expect to use the original images in the form of separate layers.

Remember that you can extract the image layers out of an ORA file with a file unzip utility. So, if you want the images in the PNG format, just extract the ones you want, and you won't have to do any converting. However, if you want those layers to be in a different image format, you can convert those individual layers that you export with any free image converter.

Both GIMP and Krita are able to convert ORA to PSD, retaining layer support. For example, with GIMP, go to File > Export As, choose Select File Type (By Extension) at the bottom of the prompt, scroll down and select Photoshop image, and then choose Export.

You can also convert an ORA file with Filestar, a desktop file converter for Windows and macOS. It supports dozens of conversion formats.

We don't see any reason to convert an Oracle Database configuration file to any other format because the tools that need to understand the ORA format wouldn't know how to interact with the file if it had a different structure or file extension.

However, since these ORA files are just text files, you could technically convert them to any other text-based format, like HTML, TXT, PDF, etc.

Still Can't Open It?

There are several other file extensions that look like ORA but, on closer inspection, are spelled differently, and therefore require different programs to open them.

If you can't open your file, be sure you're not mixing it up with a similar looking file extension, like these: OAR, ORE, ORI, ORF, ORT, ORX, ORC, and ORG.