What is a .zig file?
Zig Source File · Code and data · Andrew Kelley and the Zig Software Foundation · 2016
A .zig file is Zig source code, a modern systems language positioned as a simpler, safer C. It has no hidden control flow, great cross-compilation, and its toolchain can even build C projects.
What is a .zig file used for?
Zig aims to replace C by keeping manual memory control while removing footguns: no hidden allocations, no preprocessor, explicit error handling with error unions, and comptime code execution instead of macros.
The zig binary doubles as a first-class C/C++ cross-compiler ('zig cc'), which made the toolchain popular even with teams not writing Zig itself. Bun, the JavaScript runtime, is written in Zig.
What opens a .zig file?
The .zig format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- VS Code (Zig extension)
- any text editor
macOS
- VS Code (Zig extension)
- any text editor
Linux
- VS Code (Zig extension)
- any text editor
Open a .zig file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .zig. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with VS Code (Zig extension) or any text editor.
- On Mac, use VS Code (Zig extension) or any text editor.
- On Linux, try VS Code (Zig extension) or any text editor.
- Still stuck? Convert the .zig to exe (compiled), which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .zig file?
Almost always because no installed app understands Zig. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .zig at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .zig file
You can convert a .zig file to exe (compiled) using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
Zig has no fixed magic number, so there is no signature table on this page. Its bytes alone do not prove the format: identification relies on the extension, the structure of the content and the program that created it. The magic-numbers reference lists the formats that do carry one.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .zig file?
A .zig file is Zig source code, a modern systems language positioned as a simpler, safer C. It has no hidden control flow, great cross-compilation, and its toolchain can even build C projects.
How do I run a .zig file?
Install Zig and run zig run file.zig, or zig build in a project with a build.zig file. The same binary cross-compiles for other platforms.
Is Zig a replacement for C or for Rust?
For C, mostly. Zig keeps manual memory management and C-level simplicity, while Rust enforces memory safety through its borrow checker. They solve overlapping problems differently.
What is comptime in Zig?
Code marked comptime runs at compile time using the same language, replacing macros and generics with ordinary Zig code that generates types and values.
Related formats
Sources
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