Cygwin terminfo file
File type: Various data file
A .sys-old file is a compiled terminfo entry for Cygwin.
It describes terminal capabilities for Cygwin programs that use terminal-handling libraries.
File type category:
Various data file
Date updated: September 22, 2026
Cygwin is a Unix-like environment for Microsoft Windows. Its terminfo database contains terminal descriptions that allow applications to identify supported screen controls, colors, keyboard keys, and other terminal features.
A .sys-old file contains one compiled terminal description. It is normally stored with the other Cygwin terminfo entries and is read by Cygwin terminal applications when the corresponding terminal type is selected.
This is an internal data file rather than a document intended for direct editing.
A .sys-old file is normally opened automatically by Cygwin terminal applications. Keep it in the Cygwin terminfo database location rather than opening it with a Windows application.
To inspect a valid entry, use Cygwin's infocmp utility, which displays the compiled terminfo data in a readable form. A text editor will generally show binary or otherwise unusable content.
A .sys-old file is not normally converted to another general-purpose file format. It is a compiled terminal description used by Cygwin.
Cygwin's infocmp utility can produce a readable terminfo source representation, and the tic utility can compile that source back into a terminfo entry after editing.
Software applications that handle other tasks involving sys-old files:
Microsoft Windows
Language
