What is the RLD file format?
.rld is a temporary file created at runtime by Norton Commander 5.0, the final major DOS release of the two-panel file manager originally developed by Peter Norton Computing and later published by Symantec.
Norton Commander 5.0 for MS-DOS generated .rld files as internal reload or state-cache data during a session. The exact contents are undocumented and the format is proprietary binary, specific to version 5.0 of the software. Under normal operation the file is created and deleted automatically - a surviving .rld file on disk is an orphan left behind by a crash or abnormal shutdown of Norton Commander.
Norton Commander 5.0 was released in 1993 and was the last significant DOS version of the product. Development of the DOS line ceased around 1995 as Windows 95 made DOS file managers largely redundant. Symantec later produced a Windows-based Norton Commander variant, but it did not use the .rld format.
A .rld file encountered today carries no useful data for end users and can safely be deleted. If inspection is needed for forensic or historical purposes, a hex editor such as HxD can open the raw binary, though no public documentation exists to interpret its contents.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWOrphaned temp file, poses no threat. No executable content; no known malware using this extension.
Format details
in a nutshell- Various application reload/reload-data files - Some software tools use .rld as a generic 'reload data' or plugin descriptor; no single dominant alternative use identified.
Programs that open RLD files
Windows1 app
HxD (hex editor)
Free Open in HxD to inspect raw binary contents - no application can interpret this file meaningfully. Technical details
deep spec| Application | Norton Commander 5.0 for MS-DOS |
| Developer | Symantec Corporation (originally Peter Norton Computing) |
| File role | Internal runtime temporary / reload-state cache file |
| Format type | Proprietary binary; internal structure undocumented |
| Byte order | Little-endian (x86 DOS) |
| Typical file size | Under 100 KB |
| OS | MS-DOS only |
| Lifecycle | Created and deleted automatically during session; a surviving file indicates a crash or abnormal shutdown |
| Norton Commander 5.0 | Released 1993 - final major DOS version; development ended ~1995 with Windows 95 adoption |
| Format status | Abandoned - no modern application reads or produces `.rld` files |
| Safe to delete | Yes - stray `.rld` files contain no permanent user data |
| Released | 1993 (Norton Commander 5.0 for DOS) |
| Latest version | Norton Commander 5.0 (final DOS version) |
Community Q&A
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