What is the WEBSITE file format?
Files with the .website extension belong to the category of shortcut files. These files are shortcuts to websites, created by Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 as part of its Pinned Sites feature on Windows 7. A .website file is a small, human-readable document in INI format - it is not a saved web page and stores no article or media content.
.website files were automatically created when a user dragged an IE bookmark onto the Desktop or pinned a site to the Windows taskbar or Start menu. They provided quick access to the most frequently visited websites and, unlike the simpler .url shortcut, can also carry a taskbar accent color and custom jump-list task entries stored in GUID-named INI sections.
Internally, the file begins with an [InternetShortcut] section holding the URL= key plus an optional IconFile= path, followed by IE-specific sections for pinned-site metadata. There is no binary signature; the MIME type is application/x-mswebsite, but the content is plain text and can be read in any text editor.
Nowadays, .website files are considered outdated and are seldom encountered. Internet Explorer was officially retired on June 15, 2022, so the special Pinned Sites taskbar behavior no longer functions. Double-clicking the file still opens the embedded URL in the default browser, but modern browser shortcuts and installed web apps have taken their place.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA .website is a tiny text shortcut and contains no executable code, so the file itself is low risk. The only real consideration is where its URL points: as with any link received by email or download, a .website could send you to a phishing or malware site. Before double-clicking an unexpected one, open it in Notepad and inspect the URL= line. The format itself is harmless.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open WEBSITE files
Windows2 apps
Any web browser (Edge/Chrome/Firefox)
Free Double-click to open the target site in your default browser; the URL inside is all it carries.
Notepad / Notepad++ (read the URL)
Open-source Right-click > Open with a text editor to read or copy the URL= line, then paste it into any browser. 
macOS1 app
Text editor + browser
Free Open the .website in TextEdit to read the URL= line, then paste it into any browser (the file is a Windows/IE shortcut format). 
Linux1 app
Technical details
deep spec| Developer | Microsoft Corporation |
| File type | INI-style plain-text shortcut pointing to a target website URL |
| MIME type | application/x-mswebsite (also accepted as text/plain) |
| Text encoding | UTF-8 or ANSI - no binary header or magic bytes |
| Typical file size | Under 1 KB (a few lines of text) |
| Identification method | No magic bytes - the file is plain INI text; parsers identify it by the [InternetShortcut] section header at the start of the file |
| Primary INI section | [InternetShortcut] with URL= key for the target web address and optional IconFile= path |
| Extended metadata sections | GUID-named INI sections store pinned-site taskbar accent color, custom icon path, and jump-list task URLs and display labels |
| Created by | Internet Explorer 9 Pinned Sites feature - generated when pinning a site to the taskbar or Start menu, or by dragging a bookmark to the Desktop |
| Associated OS | Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10 (legacy Internet Explorer) |
| Taskbar integration | Supports a custom accent color for the IE9 taskbar thumbnail via a dedicated INI section; non-functional after IE retirement in 2022 |
| Jump-list support | Custom taskbar jump-list entries defined via GUID-named sections with action URLs and display names for the pinned site |
| IE retirement impact | Internet Explorer retired June 15, 2022; pinned-site behavior no longer active, but the embedded URL still opens in the default browser when the file is opened |
| Superseded by | Modern browser shortcuts and PWA installs (Edge, Chrome); the simpler .url web shortcut format for basic links |
| Platform scope | Windows only - the Pinned Sites feature and .website format are exclusive to Internet Explorer on Windows |
| Released | 2011, with Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7 (Pinned Sites feature) |
| Latest version | Unchanged through Internet Explorer 11; tied to a now-retired browser |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
WEBSITE conversions
Community Q&A
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