OpenAnyFile
Works
Viewing, inspecting and verifying. You get the full image on a zoomable canvas, with pixel dimensions read from the file header. File details, exact byte size and the detected signature are always shown.
How to open a .cur file
The short version: CUR is a Windows Cursor from Microsoft. The longer version — including the quirk that trips most people up — is below, along with a viewer that runs entirely on your own device.
What is a .cur file?
Windows Cursor is an image format developed by Microsoft, first appearing in 1985. It is normally produced by Cursor editors, theme packs.
Byte-identical to .ico except the type field is 2, plus two extra fields storing the hotspot pixel where the click actually registers.
| Full name | Windows Cursor |
|---|---|
| File category | Images |
| MIME type | image/vnd.microsoft.icon |
| Magic bytes (file signature) | 00 00 02 00 |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Introduced | 1985 |
| Usually created by | Cursor editors, theme packs |
| OpenAnyFile engine | native image decoder |
| Opens without upload | Yes — parsed locally in your browser |
Open a .cur file in your browser
OpenAnyFile routes .cur to its native image decoder, which renders the full image on a zoomable canvas, with pixel dimensions read from the file header.
- Open the OpenAnyFile opener in this browser — nothing to download or sign up for.
- Drag your .cur 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 native image decoder.
- Your CUR opens on its own viewer page: the full image on a zoomable canvas, with pixel dimensions read from the file header.
- Use fullscreen for a closer look, or download the file back out unchanged. Works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, because it is just a web page.
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.
Local-only by design, not by promise
Plenty of sites promise they delete your uploads. OpenAnyFile avoids the promise by avoiding the upload. When you drop a .cur file in, the browser grants the page temporary read access to those bytes and nothing more — the page has no path to send them anywhere. You can verify it in seconds: open DevTools, switch to the network tab, and open a file. The request list stays empty.
Frequently asked questions about CUR files
Can I open a .cur file without installing special software?
Yes. OpenAnyFile's native image decoder runs in your browser, so you can read a CUR file with nothing installed. You get the full image on a zoomable canvas, with pixel dimensions read from the file header. 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 CUR file?
Look at the first bytes rather than the extension. A genuine CUR begins with 00 00 02 00. Opening the file in OpenAnyFile shows that signature in the file-details panel, so a file renamed to .cur by mistake is easy to spot.
Is it safe to open a CUR 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 .cur file, exactly?
Windows Cursor — an image/vnd.microsoft.icon format created by Microsoft since 1985. Byte-identical to .ico except the type field is 2, plus two extra fields storing the hotspot pixel where the click actually registers.
Does the same viewer handle formats related to CUR?
Yes — the same engine also opens .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, 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 .cur file, it will open too: