What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg

BAK file is a widely used file in operating systems in Text and Binary format. In this article, I will share some knowledge about BAK files and guide to convert BAK files to other formats. Let's see it now!

1. What is a BAK file?

BAK file, also known as Backup File, is a drawing file created in  AutoCAD . This format can be a backup file before each save action or created when the user has saved the drawing file again.

Most BAK files are created automatically by a program that needs to store backups. This can be done by a web browser to store backed up bookmarks or a dedicated backup program that stores one or more files.

2. How to open the BAK . file

In fact, there is no program that can open all BAK files like a program that can open all JPG image files or all TXT files. BAK files don't behave like those types of files. All Autodesk programs including AutoCAD use regular BAK files as backup files.

Other programs such as financial planning software, programs related to tax calculation, etc. can also create BAK files. However, you cannot expect to open an AutoCAD file with the BAK extension in an accounting program and somehow display the AutoCAD drawing.

Regardless of the software that created the file, each program is responsible for using its own BAK files when it needs to recover data.

If you found the BAK file in the Music folder, it's likely a media file. The fastest way to confirm is to open the BAK file in a popular media player like  VLC  to see if it plays. Instead, you can rename the file to the formats you suspect and then try to open the file with that new extension.

3. User-created BAK file

Some BAK files instead just rename the files used to preserve the original file. This is usually done not only to keep a backup copy of the file, but also to disable the file from being used. If problems arise, you can delete or rename your new key or modified file, and then rename it back to the original by removing the .bak extension.

An example that can be seen in the actual file on  the computer  is registrybackup.reg.bak. This file type is actually a REG file that the user doesn't want to change, so instead a copy of the file is created and then named the original with the .bak extension.

Naming is also sometimes done with directories. This is done to distinguish between the original unchanged and the version the user is editing.

4. How to change the extension .bak to .dwg

BAK files make a lot of sense for drawing files in CAD, especially when you accidentally lose the main drawing file with the .dwg extension. Now you will use the .bak file extension to restore the original file.

Doing

Step 1: Right-click on the .bak file > Select Rename.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 1

Step 2: Change the file extension to .dwg.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 2

How to check if the .bak to .dwg extension is successful or not?

In fact, when you use the Open command in CAD to open BAK files, you won't see the .bak file anywhere because the Open dialog box automatically removes files that aren't the main document.

So the case if you have successfully converted the .bak file to .dwg. At this point, you just need to do the following steps:

Step 1: Start AutoCAD and then select Open to open the file.

Step 2: At the file path, select the folder where you save the converted .bak file.

Step 3: The open command appears the .dwg file that you converted from .bak to. At this point, you have successfully done the conversion.

5. How to convert BAK files

Conventional file converters cannot convert the BAK file type because it's not really a file format in the traditional sense. If you can't seem to figure out how to use the BAK file, try using a program that can open the file as a text document. Some text in the file may indicate the program that created it or its file type.

To transfer the BAK file on your computer, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Right-click the BAK file to open > Select Edit with Notepad++.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 3

Step 2: Check what file the first line of the software is. The example image below is ID3.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 4

Step 3: Look up on  Google  what is the file.

Step 4: Right-click on the .bak file you just checked > Select Rename.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 5

Step 4: Change the file extension to .mp3.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 6

6. How to remove the BAK . file

Many users do not like that the .bak file is created when working with Cad. To remove the BAK file, you can perform the following basic handling steps:

Step 1: Open AutoCAD software on your computer.

Step 2: Go to Tools > Select Options.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 7

Step 3: Select the Open and Save tab > Uncheck Create backup copy with each save > Select Apply > Select OK.

What is a BAK file? How to open and convert .bak file extension to .dwg Picture 8

7. How to restore AutoCAD drawings

Way 1

Create a permanent backup folder on your hard drive, then each of your AutoCAD drawings will be automatically created a copy of the same name and ending with *.ac$ in that folder, when lost, find it again and change the extension to .dwg.

- How to do it: Go to Tools> Select Options> Select Files> Select Automatic Save File Location> Select the folder to save the backup file> Select Apply> Select OK.

Way 2

Usually, in the folder with the current drawing directory, there is always a backup drawing created by AutoCad with the extension .bak. When you accidentally delete the main drawing and the .bak file is still there, you just need to change the .bak extension to .dwg and reopen it normally. However, if you accidentally delete the folder, it will no longer work.

Way 3

- Using file recovery software, this command allows you to recover almost the full content of the source file. After typing the command you point the path to the error file and wait for the program to run. When finished, the software will tell you how many errors it found and how many can be fixed, usually this will eliminate about 60% of common errors.

- How to do: Choose File > Select Drawing Untilities > Select Recover.

Hopefully, after reading this article, you have the knowledge about BAK files and how to convert BAK files to DWG. Thank you for following the article, see you in the next post!

Isabella Humphrey

Update 05 July 2021