Filename extensions used on MSX
| Extension | Description | Environment |
|---|---|---|
| ARC | File(s) compressed in ARC format. Tools to extract are UNARC.COM (v1.6) and UNP.COM (v1.0 by Pierre Gielen). To extract a PMA file on a Mac use The Unarchiver. | MSX-DOS |
| ARJ | File(s) compressed in ARJ format. Tool to extract are UNARC.COM (v1.10) and UNP.COM (v1.0 by Pierre Gielen). | MSX-DOS |
| APT | Studio FM pattern data file | |
| ASC | Plain text (ASCII format) that can contain a BASIC program. | BASIC / Text editor |
| BAS | BASIC program listing tokenized. These files can be executed from MSX-DOS with the BASIC name.bas command. | BASIC |
| BAT | Batch files (plain text) interpreted by MSX-DOS. | MSX-DOS |
| BGM | MuSICA binary music file. MuSICA is a software developed by ASCII to create music on 17 voices with PSG, FM and Konami's SCC. We can use also the BGM player by (YMD)A or KINROU5 (by Masarun), an alternative driver to play the BGMs. | MuSICA driver, MSX-MUSIC, SCC, PSG |
| BGM | MSX-FAN music file. Not to be confused with MuSICA files. Songs in this format were contained in all their disk magazines, and later a specific player was released that even supported playback on MIDI. | MSX-FAN music player, MSX-DOS2 |
| BGM | Bloadable MSX-MUSIC file created by the BIT2BGM.COM utility of Uwe Schröder that converts Synth Saurus musical files | BGM.BIN driver, BASIC |
| BIN | Binary file created with the BASIC BSAVE instruction. Loads with BLOAD. The header have a length of 7 bytes (FEh + Start address + End address + execution address). It can contain machine language and data. Many of these files can be executed from MSX-DOS with BINLOAD.COM (by MSX-Park). | BASIC |
| BMP | Image file in format . Viewable in SCREEN 7 or 8 with BMP.COM (v1.01 by SEIGA) | MSX-DOS |
| BOK | MSX View Picture book. | MSX View |
| BTM | Script files supported by MSX-DOS 2 v.2.40 or later. | MSX-DOS 2 |
| CAS | BIOS level cassette image for emulators, needs a separate tool to run or write to cassette. SofaCas allows to convert software on tape to CAS file and also play it using a homemade cable PC sound output to MSX cassette input. On MSX turbo R, we can use TRCAS (by Martos) to run CAS played by SofaCas. | MSX emulator / SofaCas |
| CMP | Compressed screen 5 image, including palette, created with DD-Graph. | Dot Designer's Graph (aka DD-Graph) |
| CMP | Compressed image, including palette, created with GIOS. | GIOS, aka Graphical Input/Output System |
| COM | Command containing a binary executable under MSX-DOS. Can be also an executable file compressed with POPCOM.COM (v1.0 by Perpermint-Star). | MSX-DOS, CP/M |
| CPM | .COM file renamed to .CPM, either to be used in some CPM emulators, or to be able to workaround GMail's nanny protection against executable files. Just rename those back to .COM to be able to run them. | MSX-DOS, CP/M |
| DRM | File for the drums editor of the First Rate Music Hall tracker. | |
| DSK | Disk image for emulators, needs a separate tool to run or write to normal disk. Can be launched on real MSX with SofaRunit or using Nextor's EMUFILE command. | MSX-DOS, Nextor |
| EDI | File for the song editor of the First Rate Music Hall tracker. | |
| EMx | Disk image for the floppy disk emulator (HDDEMU.COM) for MSX Turbo R by Tsuyoshi. Internal structure is same as in DSK-files. Protected disks have additional information stored to files with HED-extension. | MSX-DOS |
| EVA | Video file in EVA format. | Video player |
| FM | MSX-MUSIC BASIC file. | BASIC |
| FMP | MSX-MUSIC BASIC file. | BASIC |
| FMS | Synth Saurus sound file | Synth Saurus |
| G9B | Library graphic format for GFX-9000. | |
| GE5 | Synonym for .SC5. See the .SCx file description. | Image player |
| GEN | Plain text that contain Z80 assembly source code, used with GEN80 compiler | MSX-DOS |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format. They can be viewed with GIFI.COM (by Kakami Hiroyuki) and converted in MSX format with ENGIF.COM (v1.2 by Pierre Gielen) - See also SHOWEM.COM (by Steven van Loef) and GIFDUMP.COM (by Francesco Duranti) | MSX-DOS |
| GLx | Graph Saurus image file like BASIC instruction COPY. | BASIC |
| GRA | Image file in QLD format. The viewer BLS.COM (v2.00 by SEIGA) support it. | MSX-DOS |
| GRP | Synonym for .SC2. See the .SCx file description. Can also be a compressed image for Graph Saurus. | BASIC / Graph Saurus |
| GZ | File compressed in GZIP format by PC gzipers. Tool to extract is GUNZIP.COM. | MSX-DOS |
| HLP | MSX-DOS 2 help file (plain text) | MSX-DOS 2 |
| INS | File for the instruments editor of the First Rate Music Hall tracker. | |
| IPS | Patch for file. Needs IPS patcher. | MSX-DOS |
| ISH | Compressed file. | MSX-DOS |
| JPG | Compressed image file in format JPEG. Some viewer can show image until 1024x1024: JPD.COM (v0.23 by APi), JLD.COM (v1.11 by SEIGA) or BLS.COM (v2.00 by SEIGA). JPEG file can be produced on MSX from SCREEN 12 images with JSV.COM (v0.1 by SEIGA). | MSX-DOS 2 |
| KSS | MSX music file that contains also player code. Use KSSPLAY.COM (by NYYRIKKI) to play it. | MSX-DOS |
| LDR | Tokenized Basic file usually BASIC program LoaDeR used to load and run a program consisting of several BAS files. | BASIC |
| LHA | File(s) compressed in LHA format. Tools to create a LHA archive are LHPACK.COM (v1.03 by H.Saito) or LHA.COM (v1.05a by Kyouju). Tools to extract are PMM.COM (v1.20 by Iita), LHARC.COM and LHEXT.COM (v1.33 by Kyouju). To extract a PMA file on a Mac use The Unarchiver. | MSX-DOS |
| LZH | Synonym for LHA. | MSX-DOS |
| MAG | Maki-chan V2 image file maintly used on PC-9801 and Sharp X68000. Viewable with BLS.COM (v2.00 by SEIGA) | MSX-DOS |
| MAX | Synonym for MAG. | MSX-DOS |
| MBK | Samplekit file for the music tracker MoonBlaster. | |
| MBM | Music file for the music tracker MoonBlaster. | |
| MBS | Sample file for the music tracker MoonBlaster. | |
| MBV | Voice file for the music tracker MoonBlaster. | |
| MBW | Wave song for the music tracker MoonBlaster. | MoonSound |
| MCM | Micro Cabin music file. Played by MCDRV.EXE | MSX-DOS |
| MDX | Music file in a format designed for Sharp X68000. These files can be played by MPX2.COM (when driver installed with MXDRV.COM). Optional PDX files are PCM samples. Require the YAMAHA SFG-01/05 cartridge or the MFP PCM cartridge. See this thread for more information. | MSX-DOS 2, MDX Driver, 256kB~ of RAM |
| MEG | Plain text that contain Z80 assembly MegaAssembler source code. Extension also used for Mega-Rom images. | MSX-DOS |
| MFM | FM song for MoonBlaster. | MoonSound |
| MGS | Music file in format developed by AIN. Played by MGSEL.COM (when driver installed with MGSDRV.COM). | MSX-DOS 2, MGS driver, YM-2413/OPLL, SCC |
| MID | Standard MIDI file (can be played using MIDI-interface or MoonSound software) | Various |
| MIF | Compressed image file. | Various |
| MIO | MIODRV Music file. Played by MIODRV Player. | |
| MKI | Maki-chan V1 image file maintly used on Sharp X68000. Viewable with BLS.COM (v2.00 by SEIGA) | MSX-DOS |
| MOD | Amiga MOD file (can be played on MSX turbo R or MoonSound) | MSX-DOS |
| MP3 | MPEG Audio Layer III file. MP3s can be played with Sunrise MP3 player, MPX Cartridge r1.1 by Junsoft or SE-ONE by TMT logic. | |
| MPK | Music Player K-kaz song. Require WAMPK Player | MSX-DOS |
| MSx | Synth Saurus score file | Synth Saurus |
| MSD | MuSICA source music file (MML). We can also use KINROU4 (by Masarun), an alternative compiler. | MSX-DOS |
| MUE | HAL Music Editor MUE music file. There's a patch to add mouse support here. | Cartridge |
| MUS | FAC Soundtracker music file | |
| MUS | Studio FM music file | |
| MWK | MoonSound Wave sample kit | |
| MWM | MoonBlaster for MoonSound Wave song | |
| OPX | OPLL driver music format | |
| PAC | Dump of SRAM contents (save games) of PAC or FM-PAC cartridge. | |
| PAT | Studio FM pattern file | |
| PCM | Sound sample file for MSX-Turbo R. | |
| PCK | Packaged file for First Rate Music Hall tracker. Includes 4 songs with all instruments and drums data. | |
| PCT | Dynamic Publisher page files. | Dynamic Publisher |
| PDX | Optional PCM sample file used with an MDX file. You can play a PDX with PDXLOAD.COM by AIN. See also MDX extension. | MSX-DOS 2, MDX Driver, 256kB~ of RAM |
| PIC | Phillips Video Graphics image. Synonym for . SC8, so check the .SCx description. Also specific image format used of X68000, it is viewable with BLS.COM (v2.00 by SEIGA) | |
| PLx | Graph Saurus colors palette file in Raw format (contains 8 sets of palettes with two bytes by color RG 0B). It's a companion for the respective .SRx file, so both files must always be copied together. | Graph Saurus |
| PMA | File(s) compressed in PMARC format. Tools to create an archive are PMARC.COM, PMARC2.COM (v2.0 by Sybex) and UNP.COM (v1.0 by Pierre Gielen). Tools to extract are PMM.COM (v1.20 by Iita), PMEXE.COM (v2.0) and PMEXT.COM (v2.22). PMEXT has been ported on Windows (v1.21 by Yoshihiko Mino). To extract a PMA file on a Mac use The Unarchiver. | CP/M, MSX-DOS |
| PRO | Music file for Pro Tracker (by Tyfoon Soft). | BASIC |
| PSG | PSG Sampler sample file. | PSG soundchip |
| ROM | Raw ROM image dump. Used by ROM loaders or emulators. | MSX-DOS / MSX emulator |
| RTM | Synth Saurus rhythm file | Synth Saurus |
| S1x | Contains the odd lines of an interlace image. For more info, see the SCx file. | |
| S3M | See MOD file. | |
| SBM | Music data for SCC and PSG soundchips. | SCC Blaffer NT, SCC, PSG |
| SBK SBP SBS | Instruments data for SCC and PSG soundchips. | SCC Blaffer NT, SCC, PSG |
| SCx | Screen-x binary image file. Can have a companion .S1x file that will contain the extra interlaced lines to double the vertical resolution.
Used by image editors or BLOAD instruction with the parameter S. SC2 images can be viewed under MSX-DOS with SC2VIEW.COM (by GDX), and SC5 to SCC files with BLS.COM (by SEIGA). | BASIC |
| SCR | Screen-2 image created with Graphos III. It's an executable file with a loader that produces an effect. Loadable on MSX-BASIC with BLOAD"file",R. | Graphos III, BASIC |
| SDT | SCMD Music file for MSX made a MML compiler for Windows. The player is SC.COM. | MSX-DOS |
| SEE | Sound Effect data. (Shareware by Fuzzy Logic) | Sound Effect Editor, PSG soundchip |
| SMx | FAC Soundtracker sample file | |
| SNG | Music file for the music editor SCC Musixx by Tyfoon Soft. | SCC Musixx, SCC soundchip |
| SRx | Graph Saurus Image file. Requires the respective .PLx file. Can be optionally compressed with run-lenght. Uncompressed files can be loaded on MSX-BASIC with a BLOAD"FILE.SRx",S, but the external palette will have to be loaded with OPEN#1. (length: 0~6A00h/0D400h). | Graph Saurus |
| STP | Dynamic Publisher stamp files. Contains an image that can be loaded on a page (.STP). | Dynamic Publisher |
| TIx | Graph Saurus tile file. | Graph Saurus |
| TSR | Terminate and Stay Resident programs to be used with MemMan 2.0 and higher. | MemMan |
| TXT | Plain text file generaly coded in ASCII, Ank or JIS. | Text editor / viewer |
| VCD | Voice file for the MSX Voice Recorder (HAL Laboratory) | |
| VCD | MuSICA voice file | MuSICA driver |
| VGM | Music file that supports many sound chips, playable by VGMPLAY.COM (by Laurens Holst) | MSX-DOS |
| VOC | Studio FM voice data file | |
| WAV | Sound sample file. Can be played with the MPX Cartridge r1.1 by Junsoft. | |
| WB | Assembler Project file. For the The WBASS2 Z80 Assembler. | |
| XM | See MOD file. | |
| XPC | Rom Patch file for EXECROM.COM (A&L Software). EXECROM patches the Rom on the fly. | MSX-DOS |
| ZIP | File(s) compressed in ZIP format by PC zipers. The best tool to extract is SUZ.COM (v1.3 by Loutrax). | MSX-DOS |
For more detailed information check out Description of common file formats.