What is the NFO file format?
An .nfo file is a plain-text information file bundled with software releases, games, and other digital content distributed across the internet. It stores information about the given release - typically the details of that content, installation notes, and the name of the group responsible for publishing it. Each .nfo file is added to the release as a separate file alongside the main content.
The format originated around 1990 when a cracker group called The Humble Guys (THG) began distributing info files with their releases. The practice spread and became the standard convention across the warez scene, often accompanied by an .sfv checksum file to verify archive integrity.
NFO is a text file that traditionally uses IBM Code Page 437 (CP437) encoding. CP437 includes extended block and box-drawing characters that scene groups used to create elaborate logos and banners identifying themselves. Opening an .nfo in a modern text editor set to UTF-8 will show garbled characters; dedicated NFO viewers or CP437-aware tools render the artwork correctly. The closely related .diz file is a shorter companion placed inside the archive for file-listing purposes.
NFO readers such as GetDiz and iNFekT NFO Viewer can render the text as graphics. On Windows, double-clicking an .nfo opens msinfo32.exe by default - to read the file's content, use Notepad or a dedicated NFO viewer instead.
Security & safety
RISK: MEDIUMThe .nfo text file itself is harmless - it cannot execute. The real risk is context: scene NFOs accompany pirated/warez releases, so the archive AROUND the NFO frequently contains malware, fake 'keygens', or bundled adware. Reading the NFO is safe; running the cracked software it describes is the danger. Also beware 'free NFO viewer' download sites that bundle PUPs/adware - prefer a known viewer (GetDiz, iNFekT) or an online viewer. A scene NFO is not a Windows System Information file, so the msinfo32 'cannot open' error is expected, not a virus.
Format details
in a nutshell- Windows System Information report (msinfo32) - Windows' System Information tool (msinfo32.exe) saves hardware/software reports as a .nfo - a Microsoft XML/binary file, NOT a text file; double-clicking a scene NFO opens this tool and errors out.
- Kodi / media-center metadata (.nfo) - Kodi, Jellyfin and Plex store per-movie/episode metadata as small XML .nfo files that the media library reads to fetch titles, cast and artwork.
Programs that open NFO files
Windows4 apps
GetDiz
Free Free NFO/DIZ viewer that renders CP437/ANSI art correctly; open the .nfo to see the logo and text properly. 
Windows Notepad
Built-in Right-click > Open with > Notepad to read the text (the ASCII art may look garbled without a CP437 font). 
Notepad
Open-source Open the .nfo, then set Encoding to OEM/CP437 (and a DOS font) to read the artwork; or just read the plain text. 
iNFekT NFO Viewer
Open-source Dedicated open-source NFO viewer with proper CP437 rendering and export to PNG/HTML/text. 
macOS2 apps
TextEdit (built-in)
Built-in Open the .nfo as plain text; for correct art, open with a CP437-capable viewer/font instead.
iNFEKT-style viewers / web NFO viewer
Free Use a CP437-aware NFO viewer or the online viewer to render the artwork correctly on macOS. 
Linux1 app
gedit / any text editor
Open-source Open the .nfo as text; set the encoding to CP437 (or use 'iconv -f CP437') and a DOS font for the artwork.
nfomation.net (online NFO viewer)
Free Paste or upload the .nfo into the browser viewer to render the CP437/ANSI artwork correctly with no install. Technical details
deep spec| Character encoding | IBM Code Page 437 (CP437); extended block and box-drawing characters form the ASCII/ANSI artwork; some modern files use UTF-8 without art |
| MIME type | text/plain |
| File structure | Unstructured plain text; no schema or required fields - layout follows scene convention only |
| Line width convention | 80 columns, matching the IBM PC 80×25 text-mode screen; artwork breaks if viewed at a narrower width |
| Art technique | ASCII art and ANSI art built from CP437 block characters (▄ ▀ █ ░ ▒ ▓) and box-drawing characters; displayed with VGA-style fonts such as IBM VGA or Topaz |
| Typical content sections | Group logo/banner, release title and version, installation or crack notes, greetings (greetz), and group contact details |
| Typical file size | 2 KB - 80 KB; files with elaborate artwork tend toward the higher end |
| Newline style | DOS/Windows CR+LF (\r\n) in classic scene files; some modern NFOs use Unix LF only |
| Default Windows file association | Registered to msinfo32.exe (System Information viewer) by Windows; scene NFO files must be opened with a text editor or dedicated NFO viewer |
| Scene naming convention | File name matches the release directory name (e.g. GROUP-TITLE.nfo); exactly one .nfo per release is the scene standard |
| Companion file | FILE_ID.DIZ (.diz) - a condensed version placed inside the release archive for BBS auto-description and archive directory listings |
| Color support | Optional ANSI color via ESC[ sequences; standard in .ans-style NFOs; not all viewers render color; plain text is always readable as a fallback |
| Platform origin | IBM PC / MS-DOS BBS culture of the late 1980s-1990s; display was tuned for DOS text mode at 80×25 with a VGA font |
| Released | around 1990 (PC warez scene; credited to The Humble Guys, 'THG') |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | en.wikipedia.org |
NFO conversions
Community Q&A
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