What is a TEX file? How to open a TEX file

What is a TEX file?

LaTeX Source Document files are in plain text and can include not only text characters, but also symbols and mathematical expressions.

The TEX file could instead be a Texture file. These are images that some video games use to store the textures of objects, making them appear different from other 2D or 3D objects. Dead Rising 2 and Serious Sam are two examples of video games that use TEX files.

Note : It can be easy to confuse a TEX file with a text file, but they are not the same thing.

How to open a TEX file

LaTeX Source Document files that use the TEX file extension can be viewed and edited in any text editor because they are just plain text files. Notepad in Windows, Notepad++ and Vim are some examples of editing programs.

Although TEX files are fully editor compatible, they are usually only used in the context of a program specifically designed to work with LaTeX documents. On Windows, macOS, and Linux, this may include TeXworks or Texmaker. Instead, Windows users can use LEd (LaTeX Editor) as a viewer and editor for TEX or proTeXt files.

Tip : Some LaTeX Document files use the LTX file extension instead, but they can be opened with similar software programs that work with TEX files.

Texture files that use the TEX file extension can be opened with a regular image viewer like IrfanView, but you may have to rename the file first to something the program supports, like PNG or JPG.

If a regular image file opener can't read the file, you can try a program specifically designed for opening texture files of video games. For example, Dead Rising 2 Tools will be able to open TEX files used with that game (although you may have to rename it to use the .BIG file extension first for the software to recognize it).

You might have some luck using a program from Croteam, the developers behind Serious Sam, to open the TEX file type.

Since some TEX texture files are actually saved in the DirectDraw Surface (DDS) file format, a tool like XnView MP, Windows Texture Viewer, or GIMP can open the file. However, keep in mind that this may only work if you rename the *.TEX file to have the *.DDS extension so that those programs can actually recognize the file.

Note : Windows Texture Viewer is downloaded as a RAR file and you will need a file extractor like 7-Zip to open it. To use DDS files with GIMP, the DDS Plugin is required.