You might have seen some files in your system which are not associated with any programs to open it. There are a lot of file extensions today, and to know which application is to be used for each one is impossible. One such extension is .cfg. In this article, lets us discuss all there is to know about the CFG files. Also, explore different applications that can be used to open it.
What is a CFG file?
CFG is a short form for Configuration. CFG file is a configuration file that stores some generic information required by the program or software that is using it. Generally, they have a key-value pair in each line representing some information specific to a program that is using the file. These files are usually in a few KBs.
For example, let us say, you are installing Python IDE called Pycharm in your device, it creates a CFG file called sysconfig.cfg. Now, this file is accessed every time, you open PyCharm.As we can see in the below screenshot, it contains key-value pairs in every line. These values will be used by PyCharm when it runs.
Is it safe to delete it?
It depends on the software or program that is using it.
- Some programs require the data within CFG file every time they run. In this case, deleting the file might cause issues in the program and a feature or whole of the program might stop working as expected.
- Certain Applications use the data only when the program needs to be installed for the first time. In this case, deleting the file should not be an issue.
- Also, there are some programs that check for the CFG file, if it is not present in the required location, a new CFG file with necessary data will be created. In this case too, deleting the file should not be an issue.
Is it Safe to Modify them?
Again, this depends on the program that is using it and the format in which it is written. Most of the files are written in text format in key-value pairs. Also, there is a CFG file that is written in XML format, WML format, JSON, etc. These files can be easily understood and if the user knows what is to be changed, he can do that.
At times, you may come across a CFG file that is written in custom style, which is not easily understandable. In such cases, the developer might have used such a style so that the file should not be modified. If the file needs to be modified, you can check the program’s documentation to know more or reach out to the developer.
NOTE: It is always advised to keep a backup of the file and then Modify the file.
Now, lets us see how to open this type of file.
How To Open CFG File?
CFG files can be opened and viewed in any of the Text Editors. The text editors that come by default in Windows 10, namely, Notepad, WordPad can be used. Note that Microsoft Word cannot be used as this converts the file to some weird format that changes the existing formatting of the file.
You can also view the file in a third-party tool like Notepad++, which offers a lot of features to modify the file and view the contents.
Steps to open the CFG file
Step 1: Locate the CFG file in your system,
- Right-Click on the file
- Choose Open With
Step 2: In the How do you want to open this file window that appears, click on More apps
Step 3: From the window,
- Locate the Program in which you want to open the file (For example, Notepad)and Click on it
- In case you want to open the CFG file using the same application always, Check the Always use this app to open .cfg files.
- Click on OK
With these changes, you will be able to open the CFG File with Notepad. You can make all the changes you want and then save it back.
NOTE:
After saving the file, some text editors change the file extension to .txt. Make sure it is not changed and is in .cfg format itself.
That’s All. We hope this article has been informative. Thank you for Reading.