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

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

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

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

Open a .sav file step by step

Confirm the file really is a .sav. Drop it into the WhatFileType file identifier, which reads its signature without uploading anything.
On Windows, open it with IBM SPSS Statistics or PSPP.
On Mac, use IBM SPSS Statistics or PSPP.
On Linux, try PSPP or Python (pyreadstat).
Still stuck? Convert the .sav to csv, which opens more widely.

Best apps to open .sav files

Windows

IBM SPSS Statistics
PSPP
Python (pyreadstat)

macOS

IBM SPSS Statistics
PSPP
R (haven)

Linux

PSPP
Python (pyreadstat)
R (haven)

Before you open it: Safe. A .sav file is statistical data with metadata; it does not execute.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I open my .sav file?

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

How do I open a .sav file without SPSS?

Use PSPP, a free open-source SPSS alternative, or read it in Python with pyreadstat or in R with the haven package.

What is the difference between .sav and .csv?

A .sav file keeps SPSS metadata (variable and value labels, measurement levels, missing-value codes) that a plain CSV loses. CSV is just the raw values.