How to open a .war file
Quick, free ways to open WAR on any system.
A .war file is a Web Application Archive. If double-clicking does nothing, your computer simply does not have an app that reads WAR yet. Here is how to fix that on each operating system, using free software wherever possible.
Open a .war file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .war. Drop it into the WhatFileType file identifier, which reads its signature without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with Apache Tomcat (deploy) or 7-Zip (to inspect).
- On Mac, use Apache Tomcat (deploy) or The Unarchiver.
- On Linux, try Apache Tomcat (deploy) or unzip.
- Still stuck? Convert the .war to zip, which opens more widely.
Best apps to open .war files
Windows
- Apache Tomcat (deploy)
- 7-Zip (to inspect)
- IntelliJ IDEA
macOS
- Apache Tomcat (deploy)
- The Unarchiver
- IntelliJ IDEA
Linux
- Apache Tomcat (deploy)
- unzip
!
Before you open it: Caution. A WAR contains a runnable web application. Deploy only WARs you trust; inspecting one as a ZIP is safe.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I open my .war file?
Almost always because no installed app understands WAR. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads.
How do I open a WAR file?
To inspect it, open it as a ZIP in 7-Zip. To run it, deploy it to a servlet container like Apache Tomcat by dropping it in the webapps folder.
What is the difference between a JAR and a WAR?
Both are ZIP packages of Java code. A JAR is a library or app; a WAR packages a full web application with a WEB-INF layout for a server.