A cab file extension is commonly used for compressed archives found in Microsoft Windows operating system.

There is one other file type using
the CAB file extension!

empty icon.cab - Installation File For Windows Mobile

Detailed description

Software that open cab file

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CAB file extension - Windows Cabinet Compressed Archive

What is cab file? How to open cab files?

File type specification:

Archive and compressed file type icon Archive and compressed file type

The cab file extension is used for native compressed archive format used in Microsoft Windows. Also known as Cabinet files.

CAB supports compression and digital signing, and is used by a variety of Microsoft installation engines, such as Setup API, Device Installer, AdvPack (for the installation of ActiveX components from Internet Explorer) and Windows Installer.

The cab file format works with three data compression methods:

  • DEFLATE, invented by Phil Katz, the author of the ZIP file format.
  • QUANTUM licensed from David Stafford, the author of the Quantum archiver.
  • LZX, invented by Jonathan Forbes and Tomi Poutanen, given to Microsoft when Jonathan joined the company. 

The cab files are also used in many installers (InstallShield and others), although it is mostly completely different format. Sometimes are used in computer games.

The cab archives can be created with command-line tool included in Windows called: makecab.exe

Help how to open:

Some modern archiving tools, like WinRAR, 7-zip and many others, are able to open and extract contents of *.cab files.

How to convert:

CAB archives can be usually repacked to other archives. However doing so may make them unusable in their original program, specially if they were used for installation purposes.

Find conversions from cab file:

cab to 008

cab to 7-zip

cab to apk

cab to arc

cab to jar

cab to rar

cab to zip

Find converter to cab file type:

7z to cab

deskthemepack to cab

jar to cab

rar to cab

tar to cab

tgz to cab

zip to cab

File identification strings:

HEX code: 4D 53 43 46 00 00 00 00
ASCII code: MSCF

List of software applications associated to the .cab file extension

Recommended software programs are sorted by OS platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android etc.)
and possible program actions that can be done with the file: like open cab file, edit cab file, convert cab file, view cab file, play cab file etc. (if exist software for corresponding action in File-Extensions.org's database).

Hint:
Click on the tab below to simply browse between the application actions, to quickly get a list of recommended software, which is able to perform the specified software action, such as opening, editing or converting cab files.

Software that open cab file - Windows Cabinet Compressed Archive

Programs supporting the exension cab on the main platforms Windows, Mac, Linux or mobile. Click on the link to get more information about listed programs for open cab file action.

Microsoft Windows:

Apple macOS / Mac OS X:

Linux/Unix:

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