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AB File - What is an .ab file and how do I open it?
Learn about .AB files and view a list of programs that open them.
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Overview
What is an AB file? An AB file is a backup of some or all of the data stored on a user's Android device. Users create AB files using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a command-line tool included in Google Android Studio . AB files are often encrypted using a user-created password.
More Information Android Debug Bridge is a command-line tool that allows Android developers to communicate with Android devices from a PC. To use a device with ADB, developers must first enable USB debugging within the device's Developer options. (To access Developer options, select Settings → About phone and tap the phone's build number seven times. Developer options will then appear on the device's Settings screen.) Then, the developer must connect the device to a PC that has Android Studio installed, using either WiFi or a USB cable. When working with devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher, developers can use ADB to create a snapshot of the device's current state. These snapshots are saved as AB files. How do I use Android Debug Studio to back up my Android device? To use ADB to back up your Android device: Make sure USB debugging is enabled on your Android device. Connect your device to your PC. Open a terminal window and navigate to the directory in which ADB is located (usually android_sdk/platform-tools ). Execute the command adb backup -all . This will create an AB file that contains your device data and app data. If you want to create an AB file that also includes backups of the .APK files stored on your device, execute the following command instead: adb backup -apk -all After you execute this command, ADB will ask whether you want to encrypt your backup using a password. Enter a password if you so desire. Then, select Back up my data . After you do, ADB will create a backup.ab file in your current directory.
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DeveloperFord Motor Company
Popularity2.3 | 3 Votes
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.AB File Extension
5 file types use the .ab file extension.
Android Debug Bridge Backup
| Developer | |
| Popularity |
3.4 | 54 Votes |
What is an AB file?
An AB file is a backup of some or all of the data stored on a user's Android device. Users create AB files using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a command-line tool included in Google Android Studio . AB files are often encrypted using a user-created password.
More Information
Android Debug Bridge is a command-line tool that allows Android developers to communicate with Android devices from a PC. To use a device with ADB, developers must first enable USB debugging within the device's Developer options. (To access Developer options, select Settings → About phone and tap the phone's build number seven times. Developer options will then appear on the device's Settings screen.) Then, the developer must connect the device to a PC that has Android Studio installed, using either WiFi or a USB cable.
When working with devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher, developers can use ADB to create a snapshot of the device's current state. These snapshots are saved as AB files.
How do I use Android Debug Studio to back up my Android device?
To use ADB to back up your Android device:
This will create an AB file that contains your device data and app data. If you want to create an AB file that also includes backups of the .APK files stored on your device, execute the following command instead:
adb backup -apk -all
After you execute this command, ADB will ask whether you want to encrypt your backup using a password. Enter a password if you so desire. Then, select Back up my data . After you do, ADB will create a backup.ab file in your current directory.
Common AB Filenames
backup.ab - An Android device backup created by Android Debug Bridge.
How to open an AB file
You can use Android Debug Bridge (cross-platform) to restore an AB file to an Android device. To do so:
You can also use some third-party Android device managers and backup tools to restore the backup an AB file contains. For example, Droid Explorer (Windows) allows users to restore backups saved as AB files.
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Programs that open AB files
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Pricing
Program Name
Platform
Reset
X
Windows
Android Debug Bridge
Free
MOBILedit Forensic Express
Paid
Camalot Droid Explorer
Free
Nelenkov Android Backup Extractor
Free
Camalot Android Backup Extractor
Free
Oxygen Forensics Detective
Free Trial
Mac
Android Debug Bridge
Free
Nelenkov Android Backup Extractor
Free
Camalot Android Backup Extractor
Free
Linux
Android Debug Bridge
Free
Nelenkov Android Backup Extractor
Free
Camalot Android Backup Extractor
Free
Web
Sixo's Android Backup Tool
Free
Android
Bugjaeger Mobile ADB - USB OTG
Free
Chrome OS
Android Debug Bridge
Free
Category: Backup Files
Updated: February 16, 2023
DNA Sequence File
| Developer | N/A |
| Popularity |
3.7 | 3 Votes |
Scientific data format used to store DNA sequence information; can be viewed graphically with a chromatogram viewer, which allows for rapid detection of mutations in DNA sequences and other DNA analyses.
More Information
Most DNA sequence files use the .ABI extension.
Programs that open AB files
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Program Name
Platform
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Windows
Heracle BioSoft DNA Baser
Free Trial
Category: Data Files
Updated: February 2, 2016
Ambling BookPlayer MP3 File
| Developer | Ambling Books |
| Popularity |
3.3 | 4 Votes |
Audio file used by Ambling BookPlayer, an audio player for Android-based mobile phones; adds the ".ab" extension to a normal .MP3 file (or other audio file) and makes the compound extension ".ab.mp3;" used so that downloaded Ambling BookPlayer files aren't mixed with other audio files played by other music players.
More Information
Ambling BookPlayer has a preference named "Add .ab Extension" that controls whether or not the ".ab" extension is added to audio files. You can uncheck this option to disable file extension renaming.
NOTE: Ambling BookPlayer has been discontinued.
Programs that open AB files
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Android
Ambling BookPlayer
Category: Audio Files
Updated: September 13, 2019
Applix Builder File
| Developer | Applix, Inc. |
| Popularity |
3.3 | 3 Votes |
An AB file may also be a project created by Applix Builder, a graphical programming tool within the Applixware suite for Linux development. It stores the design and structure of a project, which includes all the necessary information about the layout, functionality, and interactions of an application.
More Information
Applix Builder was used primarily in the 1990s and early 2000s, providing features for developers and business professionals who worked within the Linux ecosystem looking to create graphical user interface ( GUI ) applications without extensive coding knowledge. In the software, users create projects by visually connecting components and defining how they behave. Users then save their visual structure as AB files, which they can modify or continue working on at a later time.
NOTE: OpenText Corporation acquired the Applixware suite, including Applix Builder, in the mid-2000s and then discontinued it after more modern development environments and GUI tools for Linux emerged.
How to open an AB file
You can open AB files with Applix Builder in the Applixware suite. However, the software is no longer developed.
Programs that open AB files
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Linux
Applix Builder
—
Discontinued
Paid
Category: Developer Files
Updated: January 30, 2025
Ford Vehicle As Built File
| Developer | Ford Motor Company |
| Popularity |
2.3 | 3 Votes |
An AB file may also be an "as built" data file used by a Ford Motor Company automobile. It contains a copy of the stock data used in the vehicle's computer systems. AB files can be downloaded from MotorCraftService.com/AsBuilt.
More Information
Primarily, Ford vehicle owners use AB files to reset one or more components of their vehicles' computer systems to their default settings. They do this using programs like FORScan, which allow users to connect their PC to their vehicle and overwrite existing vehicle computer system component data.
Each AB file is specific to a specific vehicle, as noted by the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) the file contains. The AB file's data is split using data labels, which correspond to a block of data that the vehicle's computer system uses. You can view these blocks of data and compare them to your vehicle's current configuration in FORScan.
How to open an AB file
You can open an AB file in As-Built Explorer (Windows) or any text editor to view the data it contains. If you want to use an AB file to overwrite your vehicle's current computer system configuration, you can load the file in FORScan (Windows). Note that you must reconfigure each computer system module individually, so you will have to load your AB file many times.
To use an AB file to reset one of your vehicle's computer system modules, navigate to the program's AsBuilt programming section, select the module you want to reset, and then select the Load all button. The related data from your AB file will then appear in FORScan. To push the data to your vehicle, select Write all .
Programs that open AB files
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Pricing
Program Name
Platform
Reset
X
Windows
FORScan
Free Trial
As-Built Explorer
Free
Any text editor
Mac
Apple TextEdit
Included with OS
Any text editor
Linux
Vim
Free
Any text editor
Category: Settings Files
Updated: November 30, 2021