This quick guide will show you how to open .nfo files on your Windows 10 computer or tablet.
Background
.NFO files are really just text files. They contain information (hence the “nfo” name) typically about software or digital media. Best of all, you don’t need to install any additional software to open .nfo files.
Open .NFO Files in Windows
- Locate the .nfo file you want to open but instead of double-clicking it, right-click it and select Open with… from the menu.
- Below the section titled Other options find the More apps link and give it a click.
- Windows will now display a list of most of the apps on your computer. Select Notepad from that list, place a check in the box labelled Always use this app to open .nfo files and then click OK
- Notepad will open and display the contents of your .nfo file.
- That’s it! Each time you want to open an .nfo file going forward all you have to do is double-click it – Notepad will launch and automatically open that file. Also, all of the .nfo files on your computer will have a new icon – the same one as Notepad and .txt files.
If you want to make your own NFO file all you need to do is use Notepad to create a .txt file and then rename it to an .nfo. If you want to create an NFO file with fancy ascii art, you could try out NFO Maker – an open source (free) app for Windows.
If this guide helped, feel free to take a look through our other Windows tutorials.
If this article helped you, I’d be grateful if you could share it on your preferred social network — it helps me a lot. If you’re feeling particularly generous, you could buy me a coffee and I’d be super grateful 
by DAMN
DAMN NFO Viewer is a lightweight application that helps users view and edit NFO files.
Operating system: Windows
Publisher:
DAMN
Antivirus check: passed
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DAMN NFO Viewer
The DAMN NFO Viewer is an efficient and user-friendly text-based viewer for Windows that allows you to view NFO and DIZ files associated with the popular scene releases.
Damn NFO Viewer provides an easy way to view text files containing ASCII Art and other complex formatting.
Features:
• Easy to use and intuitive user interface
• Supports both NFO and DIZ files
• Supports ANSI and Unicode text
• Adjustable font size and text color
• Variable line spacing
• Zoom in and out of text
• View file information
• Open files directly from Windows Explorer
• Ability to save and print files
• Automatically reloads files when changes are made
• Copy and paste text
• Quickly navigate between files
• Quickly search for text
• Supports multiple languages
• Supports Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10
The DAMN NFO Viewer is an essential tool for anyone who downloads and enjoys releases from the popular scene. It’s easy to use and provides a simple way to view and print NFO and DIZ files associated with these releases. With the ability to adjust font size, text color, line spacing, zoom in and out of text, view file information and quickly search for text, the DAMN NFO Viewer makes viewing and printing NFO and DIZ files a breeze.
DAMN NFO Viewer is a free software application that is compatible with Windows operating systems.
Minimum System Requirements:
— Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
— Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5
— 32-bit or 64-bit processor
Recommended System Requirements:
— Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
— Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7
— 64-bit processor
Additional Requirements:
— An internet connection is required to download the software.
— An active internet connection may be required to use certain features.
Supports ASCI, UTF-8, and Windows-1252 character encoding.
Lightweight and fast software.
Features customizable font colors and sizes.
Lacks advanced features compared to similar tools.
Interface design is outdated and unappealing.
No frequent updates or bug fixes.
👨💻️ USER REVIEWS AND COMMENTS 💬
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Adam G********u
DAMN NFO Viewer is a great choice for anyone looking to view those pesky NFO files. It loads quickly, has an intuitive interface, and is incredibly lightweight. The design is simple and intuitive, and I was able to open and view a variety of NFO files with ease. The font size is adjustable, which makes it great for viewing on a variety of devices. I was also able to save the files in a number of formats, which is a great feature. All in all, DAMN NFO Viewer is a great choice for quickly and easily viewing NFO files.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Ewan Q*******l
DAMN NFO Viewer is a great tool for quickly browsing and reading NFO files, but it doesn’t always render graphics and fonts correctly on my systmem.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Leo Nepa
DAMN NFO Viewer is an overall great piece of softare — it’s easy to use and it’s very conveninet to have all of the info about a file in one spot.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Christopher H*******s
This software is a lightweight application that allows users to view and analyze NFO files, which contain information about various types of media. It features a simple interface that displays the content of NFO files and allows users to customize the font and color settings. The software also supports drag-and-drop functionality and can display ASCII art graphics. Additionally, it has the ability to export NFO files in various formats, such as TXT and HTML.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Archie Y.
DAMN NFO Viewer is a lightweight and user-friendly software designed for viewing and editing NFO files.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Lucas
Fast, reliable for viewing NFO files.
image/svg+xmlBotttsPablo Stanleyhttps://bottts.com/Florian Körner
Matthew
Simple, efficient for NFO files.
pour la visualisation de fichiers NFO — DAMN NFO Viewer est un logiciel simple et pratique qui permet de lire et d’afficher des fichiers de texte au format NFO. Grâce à son interface intuitive, il offre une expérience utilisateur fluide et facile à utiliser. Le logiciel prend en charge diverses fonctionnalités, telles que le redimensionnement de la fenêtre, la recherche de texte, le zoom et le défilement horizontal. Il est également compatible avec différents systèmes d’exploitation, ce qui le rend polyvalent et accessible à un large public. Que vous ayez besoin de visualiser des fichiers NFO pour des jeux, des programmes ou d’autres documents, DAMN NFO Viewer est l’outil idéal pour une expérience de lecture optimale. Avec sa simplicité d’utilisation et sa performance fiable, il est un choix fiable pour tous vos besoins de visualisation de fichiers NFO
OpenOffice is an open-source office suite that provides a powerful set of tools for creating and editing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more.
QText is a desktop text editor designed to help users write and edit text quickly and easily.
SMNsoft NFO Maker is a tool for quickly creating NFO files for your software products.
Similar to Microsoft Office, Lotus Symphony allows users to create, share, and modify documents, including spreadsheets, presentations, and documents.
SuperSlicer is a slicer software that takes 3D models and creates G-code instructions for 3D printers.
Introduction
When opening various files across Windows one file in which you may encounter is a .nfo file.
This is a type of text file written in the ASCII format and usually contains release notes or other information regarding files or software. However, when opening one of these files you will most likely encounter the following error on your computer:
This tutorial will walk you through the process of correctly opening these files and set your computer to always open them correctly without the use of any third party software or tools.
Video guide
Steps:
Once you click OK you are simply redirected to the Windows system information utility which contains information about your computer.
Whilst this utility contains some useful information it is completely irrelevant to a .nfo file.
To get started locate the .nfo file in question and right click on it, from here select “open with” and on the next dialogue select other programs.
Once you do this you will see a list of programs installed on your PC from here select Notepad from the list or any text editor program installed.
Once selected the file should open in your text editor of choice and you will be able to view the contents of the file. If your using another Operating System like macOS or Linux you can also use the built-in text editor to open .nfo files in the same way as inside Windows.
Examples of NFO files
Below are some examples of NFO files to give you an idea of what they may look like when you open them:
Conclusion
At this point, you can also choose your text editor as the default program to open these files which will enable you to always open .nfo files in notepad or whichever text editor you chose.
Has this helped you out? If so share it with your friends or check out software utilities and video section for more tutorials.
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*Image credits:
百楽兎 [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Rtnf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Last updated on the 18th of February 2023
Alessio Rigoli is the founder of AGR Technology and got his start working in the IT space originally in Education and then in the private sector helping businesses in various industries. Alessio maintains the blog and is interested in a number of different topics emerging and current such as Digital marketing, Software development, Cryptocurrency/Blockchain, Cyber security, Linux and more.
Alessio Rigoli, AGR Technology
An NFO file is a type of text file that usually accompanies digital media downloads from certain sources. More than just a simple text file, NFO files also allow for elaborate ASCII artwork to accompany the details of the download or to embed XML tags for media libraries.
So, here’s what an NFO file is, where you find them, and how to open and view NFO files—to their full potential.
What Is an NFO File?
NFO files are typically associated with media downloaded using a distributed file network, such as BitTorrent, or through a warez site. They are strongly associated with communities that pirate media, software, and other digital files. NFO itself is a contraction of «information,» which is what the file provides.
The NFO file includes information regarding the media, such as release date, genre, title, bitrate, subtitles, audio and video codec, resolution, and so on. Some NFO files attached to pirate software will also include information on how to install the program without triggering anti-piracy software or trackers.
As well as that, NFO files usually provide information on the person uploading the file and might include shoutouts to other pirates and file uploaders, requests for cryptocurrency donations for their efforts, contact details for file requests, and details of upcoming releases.
Kodi, Plex, and NFO Files
Media streaming and organization services such as Kodi and Plex use NFO files to update media library information. An NFO file can contain XML data that the services can read, updating your library accordingly, using tags such as title, user rating, outline, plot, runtime, genre, and so on.
The Best NFO File Viewers
If you find an NFO file on your system and want to view its contents, you can use a standard text file program, such as Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for macOS. However, opening an NFO file in those basic text editing programs doesn’t unlock the full potential of the file. At the very least, you won’t view the ASCII artwork in its true form, missing out on its glory.
There are several excellent NFO file viewers available for each operating system.
1. Notepad++
Notepad++ is a significant step up from the Windows Notepad. It supports several programming languages, multiple tabs, and heaps of other features. Importantly, it can display NFO files, as well as edit and convert them, too.
There’s no wonder it features on our list of the best Notepad alternatives.
Download: Notepad++ for Windows (Free)
2. NFO Viewer
NFO Viewer is a «simple viewer for NFO files.» It presents your NFO files in a simple yet effective manner and doesn’t mess around with fonts or other visual effects. Better still, NFO Viewer is free and open-source, so you can check out the source code if you want.
Once you open the NFO file, you can edit the font style and color, the line spacing, toggle through the color schemes, or select a custom color scheme. NFO Viewer also makes any URLs in the NFO file clickable, which is handy.
Download: NFO Viewer for Windows or Linux (Free)
3. Jane
Jane (Just Another Nasty Editor) is one of the most feature-packed NFO viewers available to Windows users. Not only that, but Jane is also one of the most frequently updated options, too.
Jane comes with several NFO file editing tools, such as font editing, design and organization presets, and a myriad of color options. One of my favorite Jane features is the random color option, which changes the font and background color. Press CTRL + ALT + H to cycle through all manner of NFO file colors!
Download: Jane for Windows (Free)
4. iNFekt
iNFekt is a free and open-source desktop NFO viewer for Windows. There is also a command-line tool available for Linux users, which you can find in the iNFekt Github releases.
Easy to use, one of my favorite iNFekt features is also one of the simplest—it keeps the NFO file centered when you change the window size. Aside from that, there are options for importing and exporting NFO themes, customizable color schemes, editable fonts, and a few different viewing mode options.
Download: iNFekt for Windows (Free)
5. Yet Another NFO Viewer
Yet Another NFO Viewer (YANV) is a free NFO file viewer for macOS. YANV is a very basic NFO viewer and was designed as a «small, light, and hopefully fast tool.» Features-wise, YANV doesn’t offer much, but it is a handy NFO file reader option for macOS users.
Download: Yet Another NFO Viewer for macOS (Free)
6. NFOmation
If you don’t want to install a specific NFO viewer on your system but come across a file you want to look at, you could use an online NFO viewer. NFOmation is a basic online NFO viewer you can use to view your NFO file.
The maximum file size is 300KB, which is a decent limit considering the minute amount of data a typical NFO file uses. As an example, the NFO file I’m using in these screenshots is 3KB.
Do You Need an NFO File Viewer?
NFO files can contain elaborate ASCII artwork, showing off the skills of the creator. The NFO files found with torrent and warez downloads also act as a tag of kinds, indicating to the rest of the community that a particular group cracked this software.
If you don’t care about the ASCII artwork and just want the information in the file, you can open the NFO file in a standard text editor. While the fancy logo header won’t parse, the information regarding the file should be absolutely fine.
Similarly, if you’re creating or reading NFO files for Plex, Kodi, or another media service, you could probably use a default operating system text editor without running into any issues.
NFO files are still really handy. Did you know they are one of the ways you can check the quality of a film before downloading?
Image Credit: Pressmaster/Shutterstock