How to Open JSON Files

What is a JSON File?

A JSON file is a text file that stores data in JavaScript Object Notation format. JSON files have the .json extension and can be opened with any text editor or specialized JSON viewer.

Quick Methods

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For Quick Viewing

• Web Browser: Just drag the JSON file into Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. Modern browsers display JSON with basic formatting.
• Online Viewers: Use our JSON Tree View tool for an interactive, collapsible view.

For Editing

• Visual Studio Code: Free, cross-platform editor with excellent JSON support, syntax highlighting, and validation.
• Sublime Text: Lightweight editor with JSON formatting plugins.
• Notepad++: Windows-only, free editor with JSON plugins.

For Development

• VS Code with extensions: JSON Tools, Prettier for formatting.
• JetBrains IDEs: Built-in JSON support with schema validation.
• Command line (jq): Powerful JSON processor for scripting.

For Large Files

• jq: Command-line tool that handles large files efficiently.
• Dadroit: Desktop app designed for large JSON files.
• fx: Terminal JSON viewer with streaming support.

Opening JSON in Programming Languages

JavaScript/Node.js

// In Node.js
const data = require('./file.json');

// Or using fs
const fs = require('fs');
const data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('file.json', 'utf8'));

// In browser
fetch('file.json')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Python

import json

with open('file.json', 'r') as f:
    data = json.load(f)
    print(data)

Command Line (jq)

# View formatted JSON
jq . file.json

# Extract specific field
jq '.name' file.json

# Filter array
jq '.users[] | select(.age > 30)' file.json

Troubleshooting

JSON Opens as Text/Code

This is normal! JSON is a text format. If you want formatted viewing, use a dedicated JSON viewer or our online tools.

Cant Open Large JSON Files

Basic text editors may struggle with files over 100MB. Use command-line tools like jq or specialized applications for large files.

JSON Shows Errors

The file may have syntax errors. Use our JSON Validator to find and fix issues.

Try Our Online Tools

View and work with JSON files directly in your browser - no installation required: