FileHint
JAEN

.bin

Use caution

Generic binary

A catch-all extension for raw binary data — firmware images, disk images, ROMs, memory dumps, and so on.

MIME types

  • application/octet-stream

Category

data

What opens this file

  • File Signature Checker
  • binwalk
  • HxD
  • xxd
  • hexdump

How to open by OS

Windows

  • HxD, PeStudio.

Mac

  • 0xED, Hex Fiend.

Linux

  • hexdump, xxd, binwalk.

Ios

  • Koder.

Android

  • xxd via Termux.

Safety notes

  • What a .bin actually is varies wildly — executable, ROM, or something else. Treat the real content, not the extension, as the truth.
  • Run unknown bins through the File Signature Checker, then scan with antivirus before interacting.

Common mistakes

  • Sometimes .bin is actually a text file or a renamed ISO. Don't assume.
  • Endianness mismatches on read yield nonsense numbers — know your source platform.

Related extensions

References