Open CFG File

What is CFG File?

A file with the CFG extension is a configuration file used by several programs to store specific configurations of their functions and/or activities. Some configuration files are plain text files, but others can be stored in a specific program format like JSON or XML, or even in binary form.

For example, there are certain cases when CFG files are used to store the keyboard configuration in an XML-based format. In this case CFG file stores the shortcut keys, keyboard assignment settings and other user-specific preferences in various types of video game emulators.

CFG files are widely used, especially by Windows and Mac-based Operating Systems. For Linux it is more common to see files with the extension .CONF, and on Windows OS it is more common to see files with CONFIG or INI file extensions.

Some computer experts define the CFG extension as 'generic' which means that it can be used to store any configuration settings and its implementation is specific to the application vendor.

The principle of operation of CFG files is that the settings and preferences are stored there and loaded when the software starts. CFG files typically contain lines of text where every lines defines a variable, although the information contained in CFG files may vary depending on the requirements of the associated software.

It is recommended to be very careful when editing CFG files. It is important to know what lines of configuration can be changed or else, the application or the game can become inoperable.

Normally text editors could be used to open a CFG file, however it is advisable to use programming editors that are capable of syntax highlighting to simplify editing.

It is important to note that there are several types of files that use the CFG file extension, which means that you have to be sure of the syntax you are going to use when editing the CFG file in order to avoid damaging the operability of the program that uses it.