How to Open a TMP File

What is a .tmp file?

.tmp isn't a file format — unlike a .pdf or a .jpg, the extension carries no information at all about what's inside. It's simply a naming convention that operating systems and applications use for files meant to exist only temporarily: while a document is being edited, while data is being processed, or while something else is being built in the background. Almost any program can create one, for almost any reason.

Because there's no fixed structure, a .tmp file could be genuinely anything: plain text, a half-finished document, a cached image, a database journal, or just meaningless binary scratch data. The only reliable way to know is to look at what's actually inside — which is exactly what the tool on this page does, by checking the file's magic bytes and, when the content looks like text, previewing it directly.

Is it safe to delete a .tmp file?

Before deleting a large batch, it's worth a quick sanity check: make sure no program that might depend on them is currently open, and if a specific file seems unusually large or important, run it through the identification tool above first. If it turns out to be a genuine document or image you need, download it with the correct extension restored before removing anything.

Recovering a document from a TMP file

If Word, Excel, PowerPoint or a similar app crashed while you were working, it may have left behind a .tmp file containing a recent autosaved copy of your document. Since modern Office formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) are actually ZIP archives internally, the identification tool above can often recognize this and offer to download the file with the correct extension restored — try opening the renamed file in the matching application afterward.

This isn't guaranteed to work: if the crash happened mid-write, the file may be incomplete or corrupted. If recovery fails, check your application's own built-in AutoRecover/document-recovery feature first the next time you reopen it — that's usually a more reliable path back to unsaved work than hunting through temp files directly.

Where TMP files usually live

• Windows: %TEMP% (usually C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Temp), plus a system-wide C:\Windows\Temp.
• Mac: /tmp and /private/var/folders/..., mostly hidden from Finder by default.
• Linux: /tmp and /var/tmp, often cleared automatically on reboot.

Files can also turn up outside these folders — some apps drop a .tmp file right next to the document you're editing, in the same folder, which is the most common way people stumble across one unexpectedly.

Common TMP file problems and how to fix them

A .tmp file won't go away even after closing the program

Some apps only clean up temp files on their next successful launch, not on close. Reopening and properly closing the app again usually clears it; otherwise it's safe to delete manually.

Renamed file still won't open in the expected program

The temp file may be incomplete, corrupted, or simply not the format you expected. Double-check the "Detected content" result from the tool above, and if it shows "Unrecognized," the file likely doesn't correspond to any complete, openable format.

Running out of disk space from accumulated .tmp files

Use your operating system's built-in disk cleanup tool (Windows: Disk Cleanup / Storage Sense; Mac: Storage Management; Linux: clear /tmp on reboot or manually) rather than deleting files by hand across many folders.

Word, Excel & PowerPoint temp files (~WRL0001.tmp, ~$, ~DF)

Microsoft Office is the source of most .tmp files people find next to their documents. The name pattern tells you what you're looking at:

If Office keeps saying a document is "locked for editing" even though nobody has it open, close all Office apps, show hidden files in File Explorer (View > Show > Hidden items) and delete the matching ~$ file in the same folder.

Recover an unsaved Word or Excel file (AutoRecover & UnsavedFiles)

Before digging through .tmp files by hand, use Office's own recovery, which reads the same temporary data in a structured way:

1. Reopen Word (or Excel). After a crash, a Document Recovery pane usually appears on the left — open each listed version and save the one you want with File > Save As.
2. If nothing appears, go to File > Info > Manage Document > Recover Unsaved Documents in Word, or File > Info > Manage Workbook > Recover Unsaved Workbooks in Excel. This opens the folder of drafts Office kept for files you never saved.
3. Still nothing? Browse the folders yourself (paste them into the File Explorer address bar):
   • %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles — drafts of never-saved files
   • %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Word — Word AutoRecover .asd files
   • %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Excel — Excel AutoRecover files
   • The exact AutoRecover folder is shown in File > Options > Save > AutoRecover file location.
4. Last resort: open %temp% and the document's own folder, sort by Date modified, and look for ~WR*.tmp files from around the time you lost work. Copy one elsewhere, drop it into the tool above, then rename it to the detected extension (usually .docx or .xlsx) and open it.
5. If the copy won't open normally, in Word use File > Open > Browse, set the file-type list to Recover Text from Any File (*.*) and open the .tmp file — Word extracts whatever readable text it can find.

On a Mac, Word's AutoRecovery files live in ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery (in Finder, use Go > Go to Folder). Files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint with AutoSave on also have Version History (File > Info), which is often the easiest way back.

How to delete TMP files in Windows 11 and 10

Option 1: Settings (safest)

1. Open Settings > System > Storage and select Temporary files.
2. Wait for the scan, tick Temporary files (and any other categories you're happy to clear), and leave Downloads unticked unless you mean it.
3. Select Remove files. To have Windows do this automatically, turn on Storage Sense on the same Storage page.

Option 2: Empty the %temp% folder by hand

1. Close your open programs, then press Win+R, type %temp% and press Enter. File Explorer opens your personal Temp folder.
2. Press Ctrl+A to select everything, then Delete (or Shift+Delete to skip the Recycle Bin).
3. When Windows reports a file or folder is in use, tick Do this for all current items and click Skip. Files still in use belong to running programs and will be cleaned up later.

The older Disk Cleanup tool (run cleanmgr) still works too and can also clear system files such as old Windows Update data via Clean up system files. Deleting from C:\Windows\Temp needs administrator rights; the same skip-what's-in-use approach applies.

Can't delete a .tmp file because it's in use

A .tmp file that refuses to delete is held open by a running process. That's protection, not a problem — but if the file is huge or keeps blocking a folder you want to remove:

1. Close the obvious candidates: Office apps, your browser, installers, and cloud-sync apps (OneDrive, Dropbox) that may be uploading the folder.
2. Find the owner: open Resource Monitor (run resmon), go to the CPU tab and type the file name into the Associated Handles search box. It lists the process holding the file, which you can close normally (or end from Task Manager).
3. Restart Windows and delete the file before opening other programs. Files that only an installer was using are released after the reboot.
4. A .tmp file that reappears every time you delete it is being recreated by a running program — leave it alone; it will be cleaned up when that program exits.

Related file extensions

Technical references

There's no formal spec for .tmp — it's simply the conventional extension operating systems and applications use for temporary files. Microsoft's own developer documentation describes how and why programs create them.

• Creating and Using a Temporary File — Win32 apps, Microsoft Learn — Microsoft's own documentation on the Windows API functions programs use to create .tmp files.

Frequently asked questions