8 file types use the .arc file extension.

What is an ARC file?

An ARC file is a backup file created by Norton software products, such as Norton 360 and Norton Online Backup. It contains a backup of computer files created automatically by the software, which may include personal user files as well as system files. Since ARC files can include all personal and system files, they may be very large in size.

More Information

Category: Backup Files

Compressed File Archive

An ARC file may also be a compressed file archive created either as a Macintosh Hierarchical File System ( HFS ) archive or an MS-DOS archive using standard MS-DOS compression. It contains a collection of compressed files, each being compressed potentially with a different compression technique.

ARC files were commonly used in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, they are rarely used now and have been replaced by newer, more efficient compression algorithms.

NOTE: While ARC files were used primarily for MS-DOS and older versions of Macintosh computers, several current programs can still open them, such as StuffIt and WinZip.

Programs that open ARC files

Updated: July 30, 2019

Nintendo Archive File

Archive file used by Nintendo games; contains game properties, such as images, textures, objects, UI layouts, and levels; typically stored within ROMs; can be edited to customize gameplay.

Programs that open or reference ARC files

Updated: August 12, 2014

African Safari Data File

Contains music, images, and other data used by Cabela's African Safari; named "data.arc" and is located in the /PSP_GAME/USRDIR/ directory on Sony PSP discs; Cabela's African Safari is available for Windows PC, Xbox, Playstation 2, and PSP.

The DATA.ARC file is referenced by the African Safari game and should not be manually opened by the user.

Programs that open or reference ARC files

Updated: March 1, 2007

Symbian OS Backup File

Backup file created for mobile devices that use the Symbian open source operating system; contains both personal and system backup data from the mobile device; used for restoring data in the event it is lost.

Example ARC files include backup.arc , Messages.arc , Calendars.arc , and Bookmarks.arc .

Programs that open or reference ARC files

Updated: August 12, 2015

Minecraft: Legacy Console Edition Archive

An ARC file may also be a compressed archive used by discontinued console versions of Minecraft, which are collectively referred to as Minecraft: Legacy Console Edition. It contains UI elements and textures, language files, and structure data.

In the past, developer 4J Studios published console-specific versions of Minecraft. These versions of Minecraft were named for the console on which they could be played. For example, the PlayStation Vita version of Minecraft was named Minecraft for Playstation Vita.

Players often refer to these versions of Minecraft, which have since been replaced by Minecraft Bedrock Edition, as Minecraft: Legacy Console Edition. All Minecraft: Legacy Console Edition games include ARC archives. While players are not meant to open or edit these files (or the game data they contain), Minecraft: Legacy Edition modders have created tools that allow them to extract assets from and add assets to ARC files.

You can open and manage ARC files with ARC Studio (Windows) or MCCToolChest (Windows).

Programs that open ARC files

Updated: March 6, 2023

Internet Archive Web Archive

An ARC file may also be an Internet Archive web archive. It contains website content retrieved using crawlers, for archival purposes. This content may include HTML data, images, scripts, stylesheets, and other webpage elements.

The Internet Archive is an online repository for a variety of archived web content. This content, as well as metadata about how and when the content was retrieved, is stored in ARC files. Typically, ARC files contain several pieces of archived content, aggregated for easier storage and retrieval.

Internet Archive developers Mike Burner and Brewster Kahle created the ARC format. In 2008, the International Internet Preservation Consortium published an updated version of the ARC format, known as the Web ARChive ( .WARC ) format.

You can open an ARC file with Webrecorder Player (multiplatform). Doing so will allow you to view the archived content the ARC file contains.

Programs that open ARC files

Updated: December 12, 2023

WWE 2K18 and 2K19 Cache File

An ARC file may also be a game data file used by WWE 2K18 and 2K19. It contains cached game data. The games' ARC file is named Chunk0.arc .

Both WWE 2K18 and 2K19 cache certain game data to speed up the games' startup time. The games store this cached data in and load it from Chunk0.arc .

Most WWE 2K18 and 2K19 players will never encounter or need to modify Chunk0.arc . However, modders who have installed 2K18 or 2K19 mods must delete or clear Chunk0.arc , to clear the games' cache so their installed mods load correctly. Otherwise, the games will crash at startup.

Chunk0.arc - The name assigned to WWE 2K18 and 2K19's ARC files.

Chunk0.arc is not meant to be opened.

Programs that open or reference ARC files

Updated: April 3, 2023