How to open a .cbt file
Quick, free ways to open CBT on any system.
A .cbt file is a Comic Book TAR Archive. If double-clicking does nothing, your computer simply does not have an app that reads CBT yet. Here is how to fix that on each operating system, using free software wherever possible.
Open a .cbt file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .cbt. Drop it into the WhatFileType file identifier, which reads its signature without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with CDisplayEx or YACReader.
- On Mac, use YACReader or Simple Comic.
- On Linux, try YACReader or MComix.
- Still stuck? Convert the .cbt to cbz, which opens more widely.
Best apps to open .cbt files
Windows
- CDisplayEx
- YACReader
- 7-Zip (to extract)
macOS
- YACReader
- Simple Comic
- The Unarchiver
Linux
- YACReader
- MComix
- tar
!
Before you open it: Safe. A .cbt is a TAR of images. Extract with a trusted tool; the images themselves are harmless.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I open my .cbt file?
Almost always because no installed app understands CBT. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads.
How do I open a .cbt file?
Use a comic reader like YACReader or CDisplayEx, or rename it to .tar and extract the images with 7-Zip.
What is the difference between CBT, CBZ and CBR?
They are the same idea, a folder of comic pages in an archive, using different archive types: CBT is TAR, CBZ is ZIP, CBR is RAR.