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What is a .ace file?

A .ace file is an ACE (version 1). This one is a specialist format without an obvious everyday home. Confusingly, this extension has been used by 2 different formats over the years — they're all listed below.

This extension has been used by more than one format

2 different formats have claimed .ace over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.

How to open a .ace file

The program that created it is by far the most reliable way to open it.
On Windows, use a hex viewer or the free TrID tool to identify what the file really is.
On Mac or Linux, running `file yourfile` in the terminal identifies most formats instantly.

The registry records this extension against ACE, ACE, so software from that family is the most likely match.

How to convert a .ace file

Identify the file first, then look for an export or Save As option in whatever program can read it.

MIME type

When a .ace file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:

application/x-ace-compressed

What's a MIME type?

The technical record

For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .ace.