How can I identify these files before deleting them?
Asked by
turnip grower
I'm using an HP laptop and found several files I don't recognize. I want to determine what they are before deciding whether they're safe to delete, but opening them in different programs doesn't show any readable content. At first, Windows asked which browser or app to use, so I chose "just once." I later selected Chrome as the default, and now the files always open in Chrome, which displays nothing. The files appear to be temporary download files, possibly from downloads that failed or were interrupted. How can I check their file extensions and safely determine whether they can be removed?
Answers
Based on the appearance, these are likely temporary or partial download files created when a download was canceled or failed. If they’re in your Downloads folder and you don’t need to resume those downloads, they can usually be deleted. It’s still worth confirming the extension and checking that no active download or program is using them first.
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Chrome is probably just the wrong default association for this file type. Changing the default app may stop the blank browser window, but it won’t make an incomplete or unsupported file readable. Right-click a file, choose Properties, and check its file type, size, and location before deciding what to do with it.
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Start by checking the complete filename, especially the characters after the final dot. The extension tells you whether the file is a PDF, image, text file, video, or something else, and it also indicates which program should open it. You can enable file extensions in File Explorer under View > Show > File name extensions. Don’t keep trying random programs with files you don’t recognize.
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