How to Open BIN Files

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Explore this Article Burning the BIN File Mounting the Image Converting a BIN File to ISO Format Article Summary Questions & Answers Related Articles References

If you’ve downloaded an old image file of some forgotten game or program, you may be wondering how to open it on your computer. The BIN format is an older file type that contains all of the information from the CD or DVD it originated from. You cannot open a BIN file directly; in order to use it, you will need to either burn it to a disc or mount it to a virtual drive. You can also convert the BIN file into an ISO file, which allows you to use many more programs to burn or mount it.

Burning the BIN File

  1. 1
    Find your files. If you are trying to burn the BIN file to a CD or DVD, you will also need the CUE file to go with it. If you have the BIN file but can’t find the CUE file, you can create one.
  2. 2
    Create a CUE file (if you don't have one). Open Notepad and enter the following lines:

    FILE "filename.bin" BINARY
    TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
    INDEX 01 00:00:00

    • Change filename.bin to the name of the BIN file you are trying to burn. Keep the quotation marks.
    • Save the file to the same folder as the BIN file. The CUE file should be named exactly the same as the BIN file, except with the .CUE extension. Click File → Save As. Click the "Save as type" drop-down menu and select "All Files". Give the file a .CUE extension.
  3. 3
    Open your burning program. As BIN is an outdated format, only older programs fully support it, especially when it comes to multitrack BIN files. Popular programs include CDRWIN, Alcohol 120%, and Nero.
  4. 4
    Load the image file. Depending on the program, you may need to load the CUE file or it may ask for the BIN file. Once the image file is loaded, you should see a readout showing how much space the image will take on the disc.
  5. 5
    Start burning. Once you've verified that the image has loaded correctly, insert a blank disc and start burning. The time it takes to burn will depend on the size of the image, your burner’s speed, and your computer performance.
  6. 6
    Test the disc. Once the burn is complete, test the disc by inserting it into the device you burned it for. Ensure that everything loads correctly, and that any tracks are in the right spot.[1]

Mounting the Image

  1. 1
    Install virtual drive software. A virtual drive will emulate a physical optical drive in your computer, and will allow you to "mount" the image file in it. This tricks your computer into thinking a disc has been inserted, and the image is loaded just as if it was running from a disc.
    • There are several virtual drive options available. DaemonTools is one of the most popular ones available for free. Be careful when installing it, as there are several times where it tries to install browser toolbars and extra software you probably don’t need.
    • Mounting the image will only work if the image is designed to run on a computer. For example, mounting an image of an old console game will not load anything, because the disc originally only works on that console.
  2. 2
    Mount the image. Programs such as DaemonTools will place an icon in your System Tray. Right-click on this icon, hover over one of the fake drives, and then select Mount Image.
    • Browse the CUE file on your hard drive. Remember that the BIN and CUE files need to be in the same folder. Once you've found the CUE file, load it to mount the image.
  3. 3
    Open the disc. Once the image is mounted, your computer will act as if a physical disc has just been inserted. This means Autoplay might open, or you might be asked what you want to do with the disc. The messages you receive depend on the contents of the disc as well as your system settings.
    • Use the image file just as you would a CD or DVD that you inserted in your computer.[2]

Converting a BIN File to ISO Format

  1. 1
    Download a conversion program. You will need a conversion program to change the BIN file to an ISO file. Once you change it to an ISO file, you will be able to mount or burn the file with many more programs.
    • One of the most popular free conversion programs is MagicISO.
  2. 2
    Open the converter tool. Start MagicISO and click the Tools menu. Select "BIN to ISO".
  3. 3
    Browse for your BIN file.
  4. 4
    Choose the name for the new ISO file.
  5. 5
    Convert the file. Click Convert to convert the BIN file to an ISO file. This may take a few minutes.
  6. 6
    Mount the ISO file. Once the file has been converted, you can mount it using a virtual drive. If you are using Windows 8 or OS X, right-click on the ISO file and select "Mount".
  7. 7
    Burn the ISO file. You can burn ISO files to discs using most burning programs. See this guide for more details.
  8. 8

Community Q&A

Add New Question
  • Question
    What is the .bin file extension?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    .bin is a binary file, that is, it is just the raw binary data of a given file. Binary files are often compiled computer programs, but they can be any type of file, images, video, audio, a CD image, installation file, etc. So if you don't have any context for what the file is, it might be difficult to figure out.
  • Question
    How do I open a bin file on Android?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    Usually you'll be dealing with BIN files on Android when an error causes a .apk file (a program installation file) to be mislabeled as one. If this is the case, you can use nearly any file manager program to rename the file. Just navigate to the file in the file manager and find the "rename" function. Then simply delete ".bin" and replace it with ".apk" and then you can run the file normally if it is indeed a .apk file. Be careful about installing .apk files and only do so if you are sure you know what it is.
  • Question
    Is a BIN file an ISO?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    A .bin file can be an ISO, but not necessarily. It can actually be any type of file at all. If you have reason to think it's an ISO and intend to burn it to a disc, you will want to check the disc you burn and make sure it is what you thought it was. You can also try mounting
  • Question
    Can you delete a BIN file?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    Sure, you can delete .bin files all you want. The real question is whether or not you know exactly what the file is and what it is for. You should never delete a file whose purpose you don't understand as this could potentially cause your computer to malfunction.
  • Question
    I have 3 bin files but the setup is missing so I decided to extract them. I get an error message saying "The file format is invalid or unsupported." What should I do next?
    Community Answer
    It's because they can only work with a specific installer. They are programmed to work with proprietary software only.
  • Question
    How do I install a game having many bin files and is without setup?
    Community Answer
    Those type of games have their setups in the first .bin file. The icon differences are also a big hint, look for a unique .bin file.
  • Question
    How do I open a .bin file on my Android tablet?
    Community Answer
    You will have to convert it to APK since you can't run a non-Android file on Android.
Unanswered Questions
  • I have 2 BIN files for a game. I made cue files for each one and put them in a new folder. I burned the image to disk. All the files are now showing. How do I mount or run the disk?
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    Article SummaryX

    1. Open the folder with the BIN.
    2. Create a CUE file if one does not exist.
    3. Open your CD/DVD burning software.
    4. Open the CUE or BIN file.
    5. Click Burn.
    6. Test the disc.

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    Article Info


    Categories: File Manipulation

    In other languages:

    Español: abrir archivos BIN, Português: Abrir Arquivos BIN, Italiano: Aprire File in Formato BIN, Deutsch: BIN Dateien öffnen, Русский: открыть BIN файлы, 中文: 打开BIN文件, Nederlands: BIN bestanden openen, Français: ouvrir des fichiers BIN, Bahasa Indonesia: Membuka Berkas BIN, العربية: فتح ملفات BIN, हिन्दी: BIN फाइलों को खोलें, Tiếng Việt: Mở Tập tin BIN, ไทย: เปิดไฟล์ BIN, 日本語: BINファイルを開く, 한국어: BIN 파일 여는 방법, Türkçe: BIN Dosyaları Nasıl Açılır

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