What is the RUN file format?
A .run file is an executable file that contains code and instructions for installing software applications on the Linux platform. Most .run files are generated with Makeself (by Stéphane Peter) and follow a two-part structure: a plain-text shell-script header beginning with a #!/bin/sh shebang, with a compressed TAR archive payload appended directly after it. The script header verifies an embedded CRC (and optionally MD5 or SHA-256) checksum, decompresses the payload into a temporary directory, and then runs an embedded setup command automatically.
The .run format is widely used to distribute device drivers, SDKs, and large application installers - most notably NVIDIA GPU drivers and CUDA toolkits. To launch an installer, the executable permission must first be set if it is not already present (chmod +x file.run), then execute it with ./file.run or sh file.run.
You can also inspect or extract a Makeself .run archive safely without running the installer:
- List contents:
./file.run --list - Extract only:
./file.run --noexec --target /some/dir
For package-managed Linux systems, formats like .deb or .rpm are generally preferred, but .run remains common for cross-distro and proprietary software delivery.
Security & safety
RISK: HIGHA .run is executable code: running it executes arbitrary shell commands with your privileges, and many installers ask for sudo, giving them root. That makes a malicious or tampered .run as dangerous as any installer. Safety rules: (1) download .run files only from the official vendor over HTTPS (e.g. NVIDIA, the SDK's own site); (2) since it's a shell script, read its header in an editor and use './file.run --list' / '--check' to inspect and verify the checksum before running; (3) never pipe-run or sudo a .run you don't trust. The Makeself wrapper self-verifies integrity (CRC/MD5/SHA256) against corruption, but that does not vouch for the source.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open RUN files
Windows2 apps
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
Built-in A .run is a Linux installer; run it inside WSL with 'chmod +x file.run && ./file.run'. It won't run natively on Windows.
7-Zip (inspect only)
Open-source May open some .run files as archives to view/extract the inner payload - but it cannot install Linux software. 
macOS1 app
Terminal (with caveat)
Built-in The script may run, but most .run installers target Linux and won't install correctly on macOS. Inspect with --list; prefer a Linux VM. 
Linux4 apps
Shell (Bash) - the system itself
Built-in chmod +x file.run, then ./file.run (or 'sh file.run'). Add sudo if it installs system-wide. This is the normal way to run a .run.
Makeself (to inspect/extract)
Open-source Inspect without installing: ./file.run --list, verify with --check, or extract files with './file.run --target DIR --noexec'.
Any text editor (Vim, gedit, nano)
Open-source Open the .run to READ its script header and see what the installer does before running it.
Archive manager (Ark / File Roller) or tar
Open-source Some .run files can be opened as archives to extract the payload (or use the Makeself --noexec extraction). Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Executable shell script with a compressed binary payload appended after the script body (plain-text header + binary tail) |
| MIME type | application/x-makeself; also application/x-shellscript, text/x-sh, or application/octet-stream |
| File signature | Starts with #!/bin/sh shebang (hex 23 21 2F 62 69 6E 2F 73 68) at byte offset 0; no fixed binary magic number |
| Encoding | Plain-text UTF-8 shell-script header followed by a binary compressed archive appended without a fixed separator |
| Compression | gzip by default; Makeself also supports bzip2, xz, zstd, lzo, or uncompressed payloads |
| Container structure | Shell stub that decompresses an embedded TAR archive into a temp directory, then runs an embedded setup command |
| Integrity verification | CRC checksum always embedded in the Makeself header; optional MD5 or SHA-256; self-verified before extraction begins |
| Execution | chmod +x file.run && ./file.run, or sh file.run - no package manager or installer tool required |
| Inspect / extract without running | ./file.run --list to list contents; ./file.run --noexec --target DIR to extract the payload without executing setup |
| Dominant generator | Makeself by Stéphane Peter (makeself.io); Makeself version number is embedded in the archive header |
| Associated platforms | Linux (primary target); BSD, Solaris, and other Unix-like systems also supported |
| Typical file size | A few hundred KB to several GB; large driver or SDK installers (NVIDIA, CUDA, GOG games) can exceed 10 GB |
| Encryption support | None by default; Makeself optionally supports GPG-encrypted payloads for secure distribution |
| Payload offset | The inner TAR payload has no fixed offset - the shell script computes it dynamically at runtime from embedded header metadata |
| Released | Makeself first released ~1998; the .run convention popularized by NVIDIA/3rd-party Linux installers (2000s) |
| Latest version | Makeself 2.7.1 (2025) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | makeself.io |
RUN conversions
Community Q&A
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