Guide

Which file formats tend to stay readable over many years

A file surviving physically is only half the problem — the other half is whether anything will still be able to open it a decade from now.

Open and documented formats age better

Formats with a publicly documented structure, used by many different programs rather than one, tend to remain openable long after any single piece of software that created them stops being updated.

Plain text and common image formats as safe defaults

Plain text files, and widely supported image formats, are about as close to future-proof as personal files get, because the way they are structured is simple enough that almost any tool can read them indefinitely.

Proprietary formats carry quiet risk

A format tied closely to one specific program is only as durable as that program's continued existence. Converting or exporting important files to a more open alternative periodically reduces this risk without costing much effort.

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