What is the SIM file format?
.sim is a profiler file. .sim files store various information pertaining to a computer program's execution. Performance profilers are employed for testing applications and discovering errors or bottlenecks. Profilers are capable of monitoring CPU usage of a running program and its access to various system resources or performed function calls.
Files with the .sim extension are generated by Intel VTune, a software performance analysis tool developed by Intel Corporation and formerly bundled with the Intel Parallel Studio package. Although the tool is compatible with most CPU brands and models, the most advanced hardware event sampling features are only available for Intel CPUs.
The .sim file stores profiling session data - including simulated run conditions and hardware performance counters - in a proprietary little-endian binary format. There is no publicly documented magic-byte signature, so identification relies on the extension rather than file content. File size varies widely, from tens of kilobytes to tens of megabytes, depending on the length and complexity of the profiled run.
The classic Intel VTune Analyzer that produced .sim files has since been discontinued. Its successor, Intel VTune Profiler (now distributed as part of the oneAPI Base Toolkit), stores results in directory-based result sets and associated .vtss trace files rather than a single .sim file, making this format essentially legacy. Worth noting: .sim is one of the most overloaded extensions in computing, also used by circuit simulators, CAE tools, game engines, and SIM-card data utilities - file context matters for correct identification.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA VTune .sim is passive profiling data, not executable - low risk on its own. The main hazard is the overloaded extension leading users to dubious "SIM file opener" or "The Sims .sim viewer" downloads from ad-heavy portals, which are frequently PUP/adware. Use the official Intel VTune download (or the game itself for Sims files) and avoid third-party openers.
Format details
in a nutshell- The Sims saved character (DBPF) - EA's The Sims stores a saved character/Sim in a .sim file using the proprietary DBPF container - by far the most common .sim users search for.
- ESI SimulationX / CARE-S / LogikSim simulation data - Various CAE/EDA simulators (SimulationX, sewer-network CARE-S, circuit tool LogikSim) save model/run parameters as .sim.
- SIM-card image / mobile subscriber data - Some phone/SIM tools export SIM-card contents (contacts, IMSI) to a .sim file.
Programs that open SIM files
Windows1 app
Intel VTune Profiler
Free Install VTune Profiler (oneAPI); use it for current profiling. Legacy .sim files may require the matching old VTune Analyzer version. 
Linux1 app
Intel VTune Profiler
Free Run vtune / vtune-gui from the oneAPI toolkit; primarily for new analyses. Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Intel Corporation |
| Format type | Proprietary binary project/simulation data |
| Byte order | Little-endian |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
| Magic bytes | None documented; no fixed signature - identification depends entirely on the .sim extension |
| Typical file size | Tens of KB to tens of MB, depending on profiling run length and complexity |
| Associated OS | Windows, Linux |
| Parent application | Intel VTune Performance Analyzer (classic, discontinued); Intel VTune Profiler (current successor) |
| Bundled with | Formerly Intel Parallel Studio; current VTune Profiler ships with Intel oneAPI Base Toolkit |
| Version compatibility | Files are tied to the VTune release that wrote them; format is not publicly documented and not guaranteed interoperable across major versions |
| Data content | Hardware performance counters, CPU sampling data, simulated run conditions, and function-call profiling records |
| Related extensions | .vtss (VTune trace), .amplxe (VTune Amplifier result), .vtune (project file) |
| Format status | Legacy - modern Intel VTune Profiler stores results in directory-based result sets, not single .sim files |
| Extension ambiguity | Heavily overloaded - .sim is also used by SPICE circuit simulators, game engines, CAE tools, and SIM-card data utilities |
| Encryption | None documented |
| Released | Late 1990s (Intel VTune Performance Analyzer) |
| Latest version | Tied to the VTune release that wrote it (VTune Profiler is the current product line; classic VTune Analyzer is retired) |
| Specification | www.intel.com |
SIM conversions
Community Q&A
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