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Data file

What is a .json file?

A .json file holds structured data as readable text. Apps, websites and games use it for settings and saved data.

This extension has been used by more than one format

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

How to open a .json file

  • WindowsVS Code
  • WindowsNotepad++
  • WindowsAny browser
  • MacVS Code
  • MacTextEdit
  • Linux`jq . file.json` prints it nicely

How to convert a .json file

  • Online JSON-to-CSV converters, or a spreadsheet's Get Data → From JSON.

MIME type

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

application/json

What's a MIME type?

The technical record

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

Format nameVersionMIME typePUID
JSON Data Interchange Formatapplication/jsonfmt/817
Tweet JSONapplication/jsonfmt/1311

Got another one?