Varieties of PAF Files

Dominant PAF File Type

.PAF

File Ext:	.paf
Class:	Personal Ancestral File

A PAF file is a data file created by Personal Ancestral File, a program that manages genealogies. The data may contain ancestors, descendants, relationships, birth dates, and other genealogy information.

Organization:	FamilySearch
Class:	Data Files
Entry:	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.paf

Software Programs That Open The Personal Ancestral File:

Personal Ancestral File by FamilySearch

Windows

Macintosh

Additional PAF Files

.PAF

File Ext:	.paf
Class:	Portable Application Installer File

A PAF file is an installer file for a portable application and can be run or installed on any Windows computer from a USB flash drive. Software such as Firefox Portable, OpenOffice.org Portable, 7-Zip Portable, as well as many other games, programs, and utilities use the PAF file this way.

Organization:	Open Source
Class:	Executable Files

Software Programs That Open Portable Application Installer File Files:

PortableApps.com Platform by Open Source

Compatible with:

Windows

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Troubleshoot PAF Files

Issues Opening PAF Files

Personal Ancestral File Not Present

When you double-click your PAF file, you may see a dialog box from your operating system stating that it "Cannot Open This File Type". If this is the case, it's usually due to the fact that you do not have Personal Ancestral File for %%os%% installed on your computer. The typical path of opening your PAF with a double-click won't work because %%os%% cannot make the program connection.

Tip: When you have another program installed that you know will open your PAF, you can select it from the other programs listed (see "Show Apps").

Obsolete Version of Personal Ancestral File

Occasionally, you might have an outdated version of Personal Ancestral File installed that's incompatible with your Personal Ancestral File type. You will need to download a newer version of Personal Ancestral File if you don't have the right version. This problem is most common when you have an older version of the software application, and your file was created by a newer version that it cannot recognize.

Tip: If you right-click on your PAF file, then select "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac), you can obtain hints about what version you need.

Conclusion: The majority of PAF file opening issues are due to not having the correct Personal Ancestral File version installed.

Additional PAF Opening Issues

In the majority of cases, installing the right version of Personal Ancestral File will resolve your issue. If you are still having problems opening PAF files, there may be other issues that are preventing you from opening these files. Problems unrelated to software:

• PAF file type Registry entries are wrong
• Deletion of the PAF file description from the Registry by mistake
• Partial installation of Personal Ancestral File that did not fully complete
• Your PAF can't be loaded properly (file corruption)
• Past or present virus infection has affected your PAF
• Device drivers of the hardware associated with your PAF file are corrupt or out-of-date
• Your computer does not have the adequate system resources to open the Personal Ancestral File format