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Y File - What is a .y file and how do I open it?
Learn about .Y files and view a list of programs that open them.
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Overview
What is a Y file? Developer file used by Yacc (Yet Another Compiler-Compiler), a program used to generate source code parsers; contains formal declarations for how a programming language is defined; used for generating parsers for various languages.
More Information NOTE: Yacc has been used for creating the parser for the C programming language.
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DeveloperN/A
Popularity2.0 | 6 Votes
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.Y File Extension
3 file types use the .y file extension.
Yacc Source File
| Developer | Stephen C. Johnson |
| Popularity |
3.9 | 31 Votes |
What is a Y file?
Developer file used by Yacc (Yet Another Compiler-Compiler), a program used to generate source code parsers; contains formal declarations for how a programming language is defined; used for generating parsers for various languages.
More Information
NOTE: Yacc has been used for creating the parser for the C programming language.
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Programs that open or reference Y files
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Program Name
Platform
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X
Windows
Microsoft Visual Studio with MKS Lex & Yacc plug-in
Free +
Any text editor
Mac
Apple Xcode
Free
Berkeley Yacc
Free
Yacc
Free
Any text editor
Linux
Berkeley Yacc
Free
Bison
Free
Yacc
Free
Any text editor
Category: Developer Files
Updated: February 21, 2011
Subsampled Raw YUV Image
| Developer | N/A |
| Popularity |
2.2 | 6 Votes |
A Y file may also be a raw image file that contains the luma (brightness) component of an image stored in the YUV color space . It typically accompanies two other files, .U and .V , which store the chroma (color) components. Together, these three files represent a single subsampled YUV image that has been split into separate data channels.
More Information
The YUV format allows for chroma subsampling, which reduces the size of the color data without significantly affecting visual quality. The Y, U, and V files are often produced as a result of converting or compressing full-color images using codecs or tools that rely on YUV representation, such as the Stanford MPEG codec .
Users in academic research and video processing workflows that involve image compression or analysis primarily use Y files. For example, researchers and students in fields such as image processing, video compression, and computer vision often work with raw image formats like YUV to study how compression algorithms affect visual quality or to develop new encoding methods.
How to open a Y file
You can open Y files with Microsoft Windows Media Player (Windows) and Apple QuickTime Player (macOS). However, Windows Media Player requires the YUV Genius package and the QuickTime Player requires the QuickTime YUV codec.
Programs that open Y files
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Platform
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Windows
Microsoft Windows Media Player with YUV Genius package
Included with OS
Mac
Apple QuickTime Player with QuickTime YUV codec
Included with OS
Category: Raster Image Files
Updated: July 31, 2025
Amiga Yabba Compressed Archive
| Developer | N/A |
| Popularity |
2.0 | 6 Votes |
A Y file may also be a compressed archive most likely created on an Amiga computer. It contains one or more files compressed using Yabba compression.
More Information
While Yabba compression was used mostly on Amiga computers, a version of Yabba also existed for Unix .
How to open a Y file
You can open a Y file with Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe (Windows, Mac) or Cloanto Amiga Forever (multiplatform).
Programs that open Y files
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Program Name
Platform
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X
Windows
Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe
—
Discontinued
Paid
Cloanto Amiga Forever
Paid
Mac
Smith Micro StuffIt Deluxe Mac 16
—
Discontinued
Paid
Cloanto Amiga Forever
Paid
Linux
yabba for Unix
Cloanto Amiga Forever
Paid
Category: Compressed Files
Updated: July 26, 2022