.BIN File Extension

A BIN file is a generic data file that stores information entirely or partially in binary format. The .bin extension is used by various applications for multiple types of files. Examples include saved data files, disk images, resource libraries, and firmware updates.

BIN files differ from text-based files, which are human-readable and can be edited with a text editor. Binary data is not human-readable and typically cannot be edited.

While most BIN files store data entirely in binary format, some BIN files also contain text information. For example, a BIN file storing saved game data in binary format may include a header with a plain text string that describes the game version and when the game last modified the file.

Since various applications use BIN files for multiple purposes, you may be able to open some BIN files but not others. For example, some apps allow you to save and load BIN files, while others reference them when the app is running.

In the case of BIN firmware files, you can use the related app or device's firmware update interface to load them as part of the app or device's firmware update process. You can also use ReFirmLabs Binwalk (multiplatform) to analyze these files' contents.

A BIN file may also be a ROM image of a Sega Genesis video game. It contains the complete data of a Sega Genesis game dumped from a game cartridge. Retro gamers use BIN files to store games that they can load and play with a Sega Genesis emulation program on a computer.

You can open a Sega Genesis Game ROM BIN file with various Sega Genesis emulators. Some possible options include:

• Kega Fusion (multiplatform)
• Gens+ (Windows)
• DGen (Windows)
• MD.emu (Android)

A BIN file may also be an executable file that a user can run on a Unix operating system, such as Linux or FreeBSD. It typically stores a program consisting of binary code compiled from source code. Unix Executable BIN files are similar to Windows .EXE files and macOS .APP files.

BIN is one of several file types software developers use to package and deliver programs for Unix operating systems. Other Unix executable types include .ELF, .X86, .RUN, and .X86_64.

Each BIN file contains data that the Unix system uses to recognize, read, and run the program the file contains. BIN files may also come packaged with an INSTALL.TXT file that documents how to install the BIN file.

BIN files are not meant to be opened. Instead, you can run the programs they contain. To run a BIN file, type the following commands on the command line (the name of the BIN file is example):

$ chmod +x example.bin
$ ./example.bin

A BIN file may also be a disk image copied from an optical disc, such as a DVD or CD. It stores raw binary data in a format similar to the standard .ISO disc image format. Various disk utilities can mount the BIN disk image the same as if it was stored on its original physical disc.

BIN files were common in the 2000s when computer users would rip data from CDs and DVDs. These users would insert the disc in an optical drive connected to their computer and rip the contents of the disc as a BIN file to their computer. Users would also burn BIN files to optical discs to make copies of discs with various utilities, such as Roxio Creator and Toast.

BIN files store an exact copy of the disc's contents, including its directory structure and metadata files that describe the disc contents. For example, .CUE files that describe the ordering of data in a binary image often accompany BIN files.

NOTE: As computer access and Internet speeds increased, computer users began to transfer content online, making optical discs rarer and BIN files less common.

You can mount and open a BIN file with various disk utilities, such as Roxio Creator (Windows), Roxio Toast (macOS), and PowerISO (Windows). You can also use these applications to burn BIN files to CD and DVD discs.

Several disk utilities, including WinBin2Iso and PowerISO, can convert BIN files to other formats. For example, to convert a BIN file to an ISO file with WinBin2Iso, select "Bin2Iso" choose your BIN file as the "Source," name the "Target" ISO file, and click Convert.

A BIN file may also be a compressed file saved in the MacBinary format that stores a finder header, data fork, and resource fork. It ensures the Macintosh Hierarchical File System (HFS) resource fork and data fork are both kept in one file when transferring Macintosh files via the Internet, email, FTP, or portable media. As Apple has improved upon the limitations of its HFS, BIN files are rarely used.

Before Mac OS X, Macintosh computers running the Classic Mac OS in the 1980s and 1990s stored files in two separate "forks" because of data limitations. The "resource fork" stored the structured data for the file, and the "data fork" stored the unstructured data.

The Classic Mac OS handled the two separate forks as a single file, but when transferring files to another computer, the non-Mac system would not treat the two forks as a single file, which led to lost data. To prevent this from happening, the Dennis Brothers, Harry Chesley, Yves Lempereur, and others developed the MacBinary format to combine the two forks in a compressed archive.

When transferring a file to a non-Mac system, the two forks would be encoded in the MacBinary format as one BIN file. Then, the forks would be split apart when transferred back to the Mac OS.

As Apple moved away from the fork-based HFS in the 2000s, the MacBinary format became seldomly used. Now, you will most likely not encounter a MacBinary Encoded BIN file unless you find an old BIN file on a non-Mac or download an old BIN file from the Internet.

NOTE: BIN files may also be saved with the .macbin extension (.MACBIN files).

Different versions of the MacBinary format

Over the years, the developers released various versions of the MacBinary format to accommodate changes in the Mac file system:

• MacBinary - Released in 1985
• MacBinary II - Released in 1987
• MacBinary III - Released in 1996

You can open a MacBinary Encoded BIN file with various compression utilities, including Apple Archive Utility (macOS), Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe (Windows), and The Unarchiver (macOS).

If you cannot open a BIN file with one of the aforementioned utilities, the file may be saved in a different format since many formats use the .bin file extension.

A BIN file may also be a BIOS file used by PCSX and other variants of PlayStation emulation software. It contains an image of the PlayStation BIOS, enabling the emulator to replicate the game console's functionality and run games the same way the PlayStation console runs them.

The PSX BIOS image comes from the PSX digital video recorder (DVR), which is a home electronic device that allows users to record digital video and play PlayStation 1 (PS1) and PlayStation 2 (PS2) video games. The device includes a BIOS image required to play PS1 and PS2 games. PS emulators like PCSX also require the BIOS image to play games.

If an emulator does not come with a BIOS image, gamers need to add a BIN file to the emulator to successfully run the software. Users may dump the BIOS from the actual console onto a computer, but gamers typically download a BIN file containing the appropriate BIOS image for the emulator from a gaming website. The BIN file is often compressed in a .ZIP archive that the user must decompress with a compression utility, such as Windows File Explorer, Apple Archive Utility, or Corel WinZip.

You can open a BIN file with various PlayStation emulators, including PCSX, PCSX2, ePSXe, pSX emulator, and PCSX-Reloaded. Each emulator requires different steps for opening the file and installing the BIOS image.

For example, to install the BIOS in a BIN file in pSX emulator:

1. Move the BIN file to the Documents\​pSX[version]\​bios directory.
2. Select File → Configuration.
3. Click the "BIOS" tab.
4. Select the ... button, navigate to your BIN file, and click Open.

A BIN file may also be a configuration file IT system administrators distribute to deploy administrative updates to BlackBerry Desktop Software and the BlackBerry Wireless Handheld devices. Administrators utilize IT Policy Manager, a program included with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, to create BIN files and typically name them policy.bin.

Typically, only company IT system administrators use IT Policy Manager to create and distribute the BIN files. The administrators oversee the deployment of BIN files and may save them to users' desktops or other locations on their computers.

NOTE: The deployment of BIN files was common in the 2000s, but has since been replaced by more advanced and secure administrative configuration distribution methods.

You can open a BlackBerry IT Policy BIN file with BlackBerry Desktop Manager software. When you open BlackBerry Desktop Manager, the software searches for the policy.bin file to make any policy changes to the software and any connected BlackBerry devices. The location of the file is specified in the Windows registry with the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\Policy Manager\Path.

If this key doesn't exist, the software searches the C:\​Program Files\​Research In Motion\​BlackBerry\​ directory instead.

A BIN file may also be a firmware file used by various routers manufactured by brands, such as Linksys, D-Link, and Belkin. It contains low-level system data that runs the device, which may include security or technological updates. Users typically download BIN files from router product support pages to upgrade their router firmware.

Router Firmware BIN files are not meant to be opened. Instead, they are meant to be installed via the router's user interface. For example, many Linksys routers have a browser-based program that includes an Administration tab with a "Firmware Upgrade" option that is used to load the BIN file. To get specific instructions for upgrading your router's firmware, consult the manufacturer's documentation.

A BIN file may also be a binary file used by the Nintendo DS series portable gaming system. It contains executable data for a Nintendo DS game that gamers utilize to patch (or modify) Nintendo games for DS emulators.

Most gamers emulating a Nintendo DS game will not encounter a Nintendo DS Binary file unless they are attempting to modify an aspect of a game. For example, game modders looking to adjust the color of spray paint available in Kirby: Squeak Squad may extract a spray.bin file from an .NDS Nintendo DS Game ROM file.

NOTE: Since many file types use the .bin extension, it may be difficult to identify the format in which the BIN file is saved. However, the name of the BIN file and the folder that stores the file will help indicate the information it contains. Additionally, programs that support one type of BIN file will most likely not support other BIN file types.

BIN files are not meant to be opened. Instead, the Nintendo DS emulator, such as NO$GBA or DeSmuME, references the BIN file to load gameplay elements.

However, gamers may attempt to modify BIN files with specialized utilities or hexadecimal (hex) editors.

A BIN file may also be an Atari 2600 video game ROM image. It contains an exact copy of the original game dumped from the game cartridge. Retro gamers use BIN files to store games that they can load and play with an Atari emulation application on a computer.

Atari launched the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) in 1977, then rebranded it as Atari 2600 in 1982. It came with controllers and a game cartridge, originally Combat, which was later replaced by Pac-Man. Other games for the console include Space Invaders, River Raid, Frogger, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Atari gaming enthusiasts who want to re-live the experience of the 2600 console utilize emulation software to play games on their computers without the actual gaming console. For example, gamers who enjoyed the Atari 2600 console in the 1970s and 80s dump game ROM data from Atari 2600 game cartridges onto their computer and save them as individual BIN files, or .A26 files, to load and play with an emulator.

Some gamers that dump game ROM data to BIN files compress them in .ZIP archives to reduce their size. Then, they upload them online to share with other Atari 2600 gaming enthusiasts who can extract the BIN files from the Zip archives with decompression software, such as Windows File Explorer or Apple Archive Utility.

You can open an Atari 2600 Game ROM BIN file with several Atari emulators, including Stella (multiplatform), PCAE (Windows), BizHawk (Windows and Linux), and z26 (Windows and Linux).

A BIN file may also be a data file created by the Nintendo Wii, a video game console. It typically contains information about a Wii channel or saved game. BIN files store some information in plain text, but the majority of the file's information is stored in an encrypted format that can be read only by a Wii.

Nintendo Wii BIN files are saved to the following location on an SD card inserted in the Wii's front SD slot:

F:/​private/​wii/​title/​xxxx/​

The xxxx is the four-character abbreviation of the game or Wii channel for which the file contains data.

You can use the Dolphin emulator (multiplatform) to import data from many types of Wii BIN files. For example, you can import data from BIN files that contain saved games, and you can import data from a NAND.bin file. For more information, refer to Dolphin's documentation.

You can also open BIN files:

• On the Wii that was used to copy the files to an SD card.
• With the third-party BootMii Wii backup program, which can be installed on a Wii using the Homebrew Channel. Note that BootMii can open only some types of BIN files.

A BIN file may also be a game data file packaged with a game downloaded from GOG.com, an online video game distribution platform. It contains binary game data that an associated setup.exe file references to install a video game. Users should not open BIN files and cannot install a game with only a BIN file.

When a gamer downloads a game they purchased from GOG.com, the download package includes a setup.exe file and one or more BIN files. Each BIN file contains game data that the game installer references to install the game. A large game's download package may include several BIN files to break the game's data into smaller pieces and avoid download size restrictions that some Internet browsers use to prevent users from downloading large files.

If you are having trouble installing a game that you downloaded from GOG.com, you may be missing either the game's setup.exe file or one of its BIN files. Before attempting to install the game again, re-download the game's setup.exe file and BIN files from GOG.com, make sure the files are all located in the same folder, and then double-click the setup.exe file to begin installing the game.

GOG.com BIN files are not meant to be opened. To use a BIN file to install a GOG.com video game, first, make sure each of the game's BIN files and its setup.exe file are located in the same folder. Then, double-click the setup.exe file to install your game.