How to open a .npy file
Quick, free ways to open NPY on any system.
A .npy file is a NumPy Array. If double-clicking does nothing, your computer simply does not have an app that reads NPY yet. Here is how to fix that on each operating system, using free software wherever possible.
Open a .npy file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .npy. Drop it into the WhatFileType file identifier, which reads its signature without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with Python (numpy.load) or Spyder.
- On Mac, use Python (numpy.load) or Spyder.
- On Linux, try Python (numpy.load) or Spyder.
- Still stuck? Convert the .npy to CSV, which opens more widely.
Best apps to open .npy files
Windows
- Python (numpy.load)
- Spyder
- Jupyter
macOS
- Python (numpy.load)
- Spyder
- Jupyter
Linux
- Python (numpy.load)
- Spyder
- Jupyter
!
Before you open it: Mostly safe. A plain .npy holds only array data. Avoid loading arrays of Python objects from untrusted sources, since that path can execute code during unpickling.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I open my .npy file?
Almost always because no installed app understands NPY. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads.
How do I open an NPY file?
In Python, numpy.load('file.npy') returns the array. There is no general viewer; the file is meant to be read back into NumPy.
What is the difference between NPY and NPZ?
NPY holds one array. NPZ is a ZIP archive of several NPY files, letting you save many named arrays in one file.