ICNS stands for Apple Icon Graphic Format. These files are typically png files, which contain 8-bit alpha channels and are generally used for displaying application icons in the OS-X finder and dock applications. A Mac applications PLIST file also references these types of files for the display of its icons.
The ICNS file contains an eight-byte header. This is followed by multiple icon data. The header defines a magic literal and also the length of the file with msb counting as the beginning of the file. The icon data is defined by a four-byte icon type and four byte data length element. Starting with the ninth byte after this, the actual icon data is stored.
| File type | Apple Icon Graphic Format |
| Developer | Apple |
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While searching for an answer to the question - How to open the ICNS file? - you probably found websites, which offer software that was able to open any file extension. Do not be fooled, there is no one program that will allow you to work with any file extension, including the ICNS file. Each program contains a different type of data and you need specialized software to properly work with the ICNS file. Here is a list of programs that are designed to work with the ICNS file - remember, these applications are able to open at most a few file extensions, they are designed to work with a specific data type.
If after installing the program from a list, you still cannot open a file with the ICNS extension, the reason may be that the file is damaged. The solution may be to find a new copy of the ICNS file you want to open
In this case, the easiest way is to use the tool built into the operating system for association of the ICNS file with applications to support it. Double click on the file you cannot open - the operating system will display a list of programs that are likely to work with your ICNS file. Choose one of them, or select the location on a disk where you installed one of the applications from our list. Windows should then open the ICNS file using the program installed earlier.
Entries containing links of the ICNS file extensions with applications is located in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. If you do not know how to get to the Windows Registry, or how to make changes in it, ask a specialist for help. Lack of knowledge on the subject may cause irreversible changes on your computer.
There may be a situation when a computer virus passes itself off as the ICNS file. In this case, such a file will definitely not be opened. Download a good antivirus program and scan the ICNS file mentioned. If the antivirus application detects malicious data, it may signify that the ICNS file is infected.
