File extension PCAP
| File type | Packet Capture Data Format |
| Developer | Wireshark |
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What is a PCAP file?
PCAP is a file format used by Wireshark, a network sniffer tool. Wireshark uses Libpcap or WinPcap network package capturing libraries for capturing and analysing network traffic.
PCAP files store captured data for further network traffic analysis. Wireshark is commonly used yb system or network administrators as well as by hackers or special service units. Wireshark is a free software available for various system platforms.
Program(s) that can open the .PCAP file
Linux
How to open PCAP files
If you cannot open the PCAP file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports PCAP among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the PCAP file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the PCAP format files
The inability to open and operate the PCAP file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Packet Capture Data Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a PCAP file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the PCAP file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the PCAP from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the PCAP format
- The PCAP file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the PCAP file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a PCAP file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the PCAP file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the PCAP file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the PCAP file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
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This extension
can be converted to:
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.PCAP) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected PCAP file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the PCAP file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. PCAP) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.