# Trouble opening .bin files

**URL:** <https://discourse.slicer.org/t/trouble-opening-bin-files/2150>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [February 22, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/trouble-opening-bin-files/2150 "2018-02-22T17:31:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aturner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aturner](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/aturner)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/trouble-opening-bin-files/2150/1 "2018-02-22T17:31:24Z")

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Hi,

I have a number of bin files from a micro ct scan which i am having trouble opening in 3d slicer, does anyone know how i can open them, as following the procedure for dicom files is not working?

thanks  
alex

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pieper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/pieper/32/8_2.png) [@pieper](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/pieper)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/trouble-opening-bin-files/2150/2 "2018-02-22T18:34:45Z")

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“.bin” is a pretty generic sounding extension - you might be able to write a converter if you have documentation of know the internal format.

But if the dicom are even close to standard they should work. Please try the steps in the DICOM faq:

[https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/Nightly/FAQ/DICOM](https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/Nightly/FAQ/DICOM)

maybe post the error log and some sample files.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aturner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aturner](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/aturner)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 11:08am UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/trouble-opening-bin-files/2150/3 "2018-02-23T11:08:25Z")

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Thanks Steve. So, i have 991 .bin files and a .txt file with all of the scan info in, so i imagine converting the files is a possibility? When i try and open the folder containing all of that, 3dslicer crashes on this loading screen

 ![07](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/slicer/original/3X/d/6/d6461cc67ba4eab24ba09e63082b9481fdaf9b2a.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pieper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/pieper/32/8_2.png) [@pieper](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/pieper)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/trouble-opening-bin-files/2150/4 "2018-02-23T12:58:30Z")

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It looks like you are trying to import the bin files into the dicom database and that won’t work. It probably crashes because the micro ct files are so big.

You need to figure out what the bin files are and map them into something Slicer can read.

[https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/4.8/SlicerApplication/SupportedDataFormat](https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/4.8/SlicerApplication/SupportedDataFormat)

If you know the scan info the most direct method can be to try making a .nhdr file by hand that points to the binary files (assuming you know or can figure out how the data is arranged).

[http://teem.sourceforge.net/nrrd/format.html](http://teem.sourceforge.net/nrrd/format.html)

Or export a different format from the scanner.