BAK extension files are very common on computers. Although they cannot be found with the naked eye by the user, and they are important components of the information handled by the computer.
Although it may be the first time you hear about this format, since there are converters that work with other more widely used terms ( converting XPS extension to PDF , for example), its presence is very recurrent within directories.
The purpose of the BAK extension is to work as a backup or backup , for all those tasks, documents and modifications made on the equipment.
Unlike user backups, BAK works stealthily every time you decide to save a file or change, so it runs automatically.
This is done in order to achieve its purpose. Well, if you make any changes to a document or other file, which significantly damages it, you can use the BAK backup to recover the content .
In case you want to open or read one of these files to restore information, you should know that there are programs and converters that will allow you to achieve it. So we recommend continuing reading to learn how to do it.
How can you locate the BAK extension file within your directory?
System settings set this extension to remain hidden by default . This is because it is stored in the same space or directory where the file is saved.
If it remains visible and the user decides to delete a specific document, they may mistakenly delete this file as well. This erases all backup traces from the computer.
However, if you want to read or open it to retrieve specific information, it is necessary to enable its visibility in order to do so.
Steps to view the BAK files within the directory
To make these hidden files appear , first of all you must open the “Computer” window. In it you can find a tab in the upper left called “Organize”. When pressed, it will show the option “Folder and search options”.
After having clicked on it, a set of tabs will appear, being the one that shows the word “View” to which you must enter. The option to “Hide file extensions for known file types” is shown here. This must be unchecked to achieve the visualization of those who have the BAK extension.
When all this has been completed, click on the “Apply” button so that all changes are saved. Then click on “OK” to close the window.
BAK extension files can be converted and opened within the computer
File conversion is a common method that is done when it comes to ensuring the readability of the file, which can be done in two ways.
First, files can be converted from one extension to another through online platforms, such as FileDict , which offers the opportunity to transform the one with the BAK format into any other common one , to be able to open it through a common computer program. .
On the other hand, the software that is part of the computer can also be used to achieve the conversion, such as Word . Even using Notepad , since until now they work efficiently with other extensions on the computer.
The way to achieve this last method is depending on the source format where the BAK extension file comes from, in order to correctly back up the content .
In this way, once the file is located within the directory, you must right click on it to modify the name of the extension: once the menu is displayed, you must click on the option “Change name” or ” Options ” .
Both enable the opportunity to change the file name. It is only necessary to define the name that will identify it and the extension to which you want to change it. A common format is “DOC” to read the content through Word, or else the source extension to directly back up the file.
