How to open a .gguf file (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Q: Why can't I open my .gguf file?

Usually your computer lacks an app that understands GGUF. Install one of the apps listed here, or convert the file to a more common format.

A .gguf file is a GGML Universal File. If double-clicking does nothing, your computer simply does not have an app that reads GGUF yet. Here is how to fix that on each operating system, using free software wherever possible.

Open a .gguf file step by step

Confirm the file really is a .gguf. Drop it into the WhatFileType file identifier, which reads its signature without uploading anything.
On Windows, open it with LM Studio or Ollama.
On Mac, use LM Studio or Ollama.
On Linux, try llama.cpp or Ollama.
Still stuck? Convert the .gguf to safetensors (via conversion), which opens more widely.

Best apps to open .gguf files

Windows

LM Studio
Ollama
llama.cpp
Jan

macOS

LM Studio
Ollama
llama.cpp
Jan

Linux

llama.cpp
Ollama
text-generation-webui

Before you open it: Generally safe. GGUF holds data (weights and metadata), not code, so loading a model does not execute it. Only download models from sources you trust.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I open my .gguf file?

Almost always because no installed app understands GGUF. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads.

How do I open a GGUF file?

Load it in a local LLM runner such as LM Studio, Ollama or llama.cpp. It is a model file, not a document, so there is no viewer; you run it to chat with the model.

What does the quantization in a GGUF filename mean?

Tags like Q4_K_M describe how aggressively the weights are compressed. Lower numbers mean smaller files that run on less memory, with some loss of quality.