Open ASF files

  • Full name
    Advanced Systems (streaming) Format
  • Developer
    Microsoft
  • Popularity
Have you encountered a problem with a ASF file? Don’t you know which program opens a file with this extension? You will find all the information you need about working with a ASF file here. In the further part of this page we have added a list of programs that should open your ASF file. It is enough you choose a proper application for your operating system, download and install it.

What is ASF file?

The file extension ASF identifies audio / video files.

More info

The ending ASF is derived from Advanced System Format or Former Advanced Streaming Format.

The files may contain audio and / or video streams. Metadata, chapters and subtitles are also supported.

This proprietary format was developed by Microsoft Corporation and is part of the Windows operating system. As the name implies, the format is suitable for streaming. Asf files are therefore often found on the Internet.

Although most ASF files contain WMV or WMA compression encoded data, ASF is not identical to WMV. If the ASF file contains WMA or WMV data, however, the extension can be changed to wma or wmv.

ASF is not limited to these formats. ASF is a container format and the extension therefore makes no statement about the actual content of the file. Like Quicktime, it is extensible and supports many compression formats for video and audio. These can be contained in various combinations.

The file contents can also be protected by DRM. Then you need the appropriate, possibly paid license to view the content.

Programs which can open a ASF file

How to open file with ASF extension?

In order to open a file with ASF extension one of the following programs must be installed on user’s system. If a problem with opening ASF file occurred, it is highly possible that none of the listed programs is present on user’s system. Even if one or more said programs are installed, there may be issues related with given programs. In order to solve a problem with ASF files, follow the instructions below.
1
Install VLC media player or other program from the list

Most often resolving problems with opening ASF files is very simple. Just install an appropriate program that supports such files. All of the listed programs support ASF files, but may vary in offered function and purpose. Some programs may be capable only of viewing contents of ASF files or offer file conversion options, but may not be capable of editing such files.

Set VLC media player as the default program for opening ASF files

It is possible that although a compatible program has been installed on user’s system, it is not used by the system to open it. This may happen because no default application was associated with this type of files. To associate ASF files with given application, select "Open with" from drop-down menu (accessed by right-clicking on the file). Then select from the list the program or application you want to be used to open this type of file. If the VLC media player applications is not on the list, select "Browse" option in order to manually locate the directory where VLC media player has been installed.

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Check the section that lists most common problems with ASF files

Sometimes problems with opening ASF files may not lie with the application itself, but can arise due to other causes, such as:

  • File data is corrupted
  • ASF files has been not been completely download from the internet (only a part of the data has been downloaded)
  • Currently used user account hasn’t been granted necessary privileges to open ASF files (should that be the case, please contact your system administrator or IT specialist)
  • ASF file was being copied from a corrupted storage device and is incomplete or data is corrupted. (Copying files from unknown or untrusted sources should be conducted with great care as such files may contain malicious software, which can damage your system)

Possible conversions of ASF file

Similar extensions