.TEX File Extension

You can open TEX files with various LaTeX applications, such as TeXworks (multiplatform), MiKTeX (multiplatform), and Texmaker (multiplatform).

Since TEX files store documents in plain text, you can also open and edit the files with a text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad (bundled with Windows) or Apple TextEdit (bundled with macOS). However, these text editors do not provide helpful LaTeX syntax highlighting features available with LaTeX applications.

Several applications, including TeXworks, LyX/Mac, and LaTeX Editor, can convert TEX files to other formats.

For example, select File → Save As... in TeXworks to convert TEX files to one of the following formats:

• .LTX - LaTeX Document
• .BIB - BibTeX Bibliography Database
• .STY - LaTeX Style
• .CLS - LaTeX Document Class File
• .BLG - BibTeX Log File
• .BBL - BibTeX Generated Bibliography File
• .TXT - Plain Text
• .PDF - Portable Document Format

Various video game titles are packaged with TEX files to texture the objects featured in their gameplay. Examples of these video games include Avalon Heroes (which actually uses the .DDS format for its TEX files), Serious Sam, and Dead Rising 2.

Most gamers won't encounter TEX files unless they are browsing the resources of the game in the game installation directory. In these instances, the gamers are looking to modify the TEX textures to change the appearance of objects, such as character accessories, vehicles, or weapons, in the game.

TEX files are not meant to be opened. Instead, the game the TEX files are packaged with references the textures.

However, there are ways to open TEX files to modify them. For example, if you would like to open TEX files used by Dead Rising 2, you can replace their .tex extension with the .big extension, and then open them with Gibbed's DeadRising2 Tools in Windows.