What is a .BAK file?
A .BAK file is a type of file known as a Backup File. It's like a safety copy of another file, so if something goes wrong, you can use the .BAK file to restore the original. Specifically, when we talk about .BAK files related to web browsers like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (which are based on something called Chromium), these files are used to keep a backup of your bookmarks. Bookmarks are the websites you save because you want to visit them again without having to search for them. The .BAK file saves this list in a simple text format using something called JSON, which is just a way to organize and store information.
These .BAK files are usually named Bookmarks.bak and are created automatically by the browser. This means you don't have to do anything to create them; the browser does it for you to make sure you have a backup of your bookmarks.
To open a .BAK file, you can use the same web browser that created it, like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. This is because these browsers understand the format of the file and can read the information stored in it. If you just want to see what's inside the .BAK file without using it in a browser, you can also open it with any text editor, like Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac. These programs let you see the plain text list of bookmarks and folders saved in the file.
It's important to know that not only web browsers use .BAK files. Other programs, like drawing software or database programs, might also create .BAK files. These programs use the .BAK files in their own way, usually to save a backup of your work or data. For example, a drawing program might save a .BAK file every time you make a change to your drawing, so you always have a previous version to go back to if needed. Similarly, a database program might let you create a .BAK file as a backup of your database, in case you need to restore it later.
In summary, .BAK files are backup files that can be very useful for restoring lost data or going back to an earlier version of a file. You can open them with the program that created them, like a web browser for bookmark backups, or with a simple text editor if you just want to look at the contents.
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