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.cab

Use caution

Microsoft Cabinet

Windows' internal archive format. Still used to deliver drivers, Windows Update payloads, and MSI package contents.

MIME types

  • application/vnd.ms-cab-compressed

Category

archive

What opens this file

  • `expand` (built-in)
  • 7-Zip
  • cabextract

How to open by OS

Windows

  • `expand`, Explorer, 7-Zip.

Mac

  • The Unarchiver, cabextract.

Linux

  • cabextract.

Ios

  • iZip and similar.

Android

  • ZArchiver.

Safety notes

  • Signed CABs from Windows Update are trustworthy; CABs from elsewhere may smuggle malicious DLL/EXE payloads.
  • Older CAB parsers have seen DoS and RCE CVEs.

Common mistakes

  • Manually extracting a CAB bundled with an installer (MSI + CAB is a unit) can put you outside supported install paths.
  • Extracting split CABs (.cab1 / .cab2) individually instead of as a set raises errors.

Related extensions

References