File Formats¶
This page summarizes the file types FindRomCover reads, writes, and manages.
ROM files¶
Any file whose extension appears in the supported extensions list is treated as a ROM. The list is fully configurable and covers most cartridge, disk, tape, and archive formats used by retro platforms.
Default extensions include (short excerpt):
nes, sfc, smc, n64, z64, gb, gbc, gba, nds, 3ds, nsp, xci,
sms, md, gen, 32x, gg, gdi, cue, iso, bin, pbp, cso, chd,
zip, 7z, rar, gz, d64, t64, a78, wad, wbfs, ...
The full list is maintained in the application and can be edited under Settings > Edit Supported Extensions....
Cover images¶
Recognized input formats¶
| Family | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Web and common | .png, .apng, .jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, .jpe, .bmp, .gif, .webp |
| High efficiency | .avif, .heic, .heif, .jxl, .jp2 |
| TIFF | .tiff, .tif |
| Vector and icons | .svg, .ico |
All of these are recognized when checking whether a ROM already has a cover. Images are converted to PNG when they are saved through FindRomCover or picked up by the watcher. A file with a misleading .png extension (for example WebP bytes saved as .png) is normalized to a real PNG.
Output format¶
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | PNG |
| Name | <rom base name>.png |
| Location | Top level of the image folder |
Examples:
| ROM | Cover |
|---|---|
Sonic the Hedgehog (USA).zip |
Sonic the Hedgehog (USA).png |
Super Mario World.sfc |
Super Mario World.png |
Screenshots¶
Pressing F8 saves a PNG screenshot of the main window:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | PNG |
| Name | Screenshot_yyyyMMdd_HHmmss_fff.png (a _1, _2, ... suffix is added if the name already exists) |
| Location | Screenshot folder next to the executable; when that folder is not writable, the Screenshot folder inside the per-user data folder is used |
Application files¶
| File | Format | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Settings.dat |
SQLite | All settings, secrets encrypted |
QueryHistory.dat |
SQLite | AI query history |
QueryHistory.dat.corrupt |
SQLite | Quarantined query-history database |
ai-cache.json |
JSON | AI verdict cache |
ai-models.json |
JSON | Cached model lists |
mame.dat |
MAME database | Arcade game descriptions |
app<yyyyMMdd>.log, ApiLogError.txt, UserLogError.txt, InternalLog.txt |
Text | Diagnostics |
settings.dat.legacy |
Encrypted legacy | Backup of the old settings file |
settings.dat.corrupt |
Quarantined | Unreadable settings database |
settings.xml.migrated |
XML | Legacy settings file moved aside after a successful migration |
See Data Storage for details.
Media used by the application¶
| Asset | Format | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
click.mp3 |
MP3 | UI sound effect |
| Icons and images | PNG | Application UI |