OpenAnyFile
Works
Viewing, inspecting and verifying. You get a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly. File details, exact byte size and the detected signature are always shown.
How to open a .arj file
If double-clicking a ARJ file did nothing useful, that is normal: the format is fine, your operating system just has no default application registered for it. This page explains the format and gives you a way to read one immediately.
What is a .arj file?
ARJ Archive is an archive format developed by Robert Jung, first appearing in 1991. It is normally produced by DOS-era archiving.
Popular on 1990s BBSes for its multi-volume splitting across floppy disks.
| Full name | ARJ Archive |
|---|---|
| File category | Archives |
| MIME type | application/x-arj |
| Magic bytes (file signature) | 60 EA |
| Developer | Robert Jung |
| Introduced | 1991 |
| Usually created by | DOS-era archiving |
| OpenAnyFile engine | libarchive WASM engine |
| Opens without upload | Yes — parsed locally in your browser |
Open a .arj file in your browser
OpenAnyFile routes .arj to its libarchive WASM engine, which opens a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly.
- Open the OpenAnyFile opener in this browser — nothing to download or sign up for.
- Drag your .arj file onto the drop zone, click to browse for it, or paste it with Ctrl+V.
- The extension is detected and the file is handed to the libarchive WASM engine.
- Your ARJ opens on its own viewer page: a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly.
- Use fullscreen for a closer look, or download the file back out unchanged. Nothing is transmitted anywhere — the parsing happens in your own browser process.
What you can and cannot do with it here
Does not work
Editing and re-saving. OpenAnyFile is a reader, not an editor — for changes you still need special software or an equivalent.
No upload, and here is why that matters for {E}
Handing a .arj file to a random conversion site means handing over a copy you cannot get back. OpenAnyFile parses the file locally instead — the same way special software reads it off your disk, except the reader happens to be a web page. Nothing is transmitted, so there is nothing to leak, log or subpoena. It also means it keeps working with your Wi-Fi switched off.
Frequently asked questions about ARJ files
Can I open a .arj file without installing special software?
Yes. OpenAnyFile's libarchive WASM engine runs in your browser, so you can read a ARJ file with nothing installed. You get a browsable listing of everything inside, decompressed in-browser by libarchive compiled to WebAssembly. For full editing you still need the original application — this is a viewer, not an editor.
How can I check a file really is a ARJ file?
Look at the first bytes rather than the extension. A genuine ARJ begins with 60 EA. Opening the file in OpenAnyFile shows that signature in the file-details panel, so a file renamed to .arj by mistake is easy to spot.
Is it safe to open a ARJ file online?
With OpenAnyFile, yes, because nothing is uploaded. The file is read locally through your browser's File API and never leaves your device, so there is no server copy to leak, log or retain. That matters most for the kind of file people are least willing to hand to a random converter site.
What is a .arj file, exactly?
ARJ Archive — an application/x-arj format created by Robert Jung since 1991. Popular on 1990s BBSes for its multi-volume splitting across floppy disks.
Does the same viewer handle formats related to ARJ?
Yes — the same engine also opens .7z, .iso, .rar, so you can compare related files without switching tools.
Related formats
These open with the same engine, so if you have one of these sitting next to your .arj file, it will open too: