2.8 FAQ-415 How do I double-click to open ASCII files in Origin?

Last Update: 10/8/2017

You can double-click to open an ASCII file in Origin by setting Origin as the default program.

  1. In Windows Explorer, right click on an ASCII file and choose Open With: Choose default program.
  2. Browse to select Origin##.exe file in the Origin program folder. Select Always use the selected program to open this kind of file checkbox and click OK.


For Origin 2017 and ealier versions, you will need to set up a batch file to open an ASCII file in Origin by double-clicking.

  1. Open a Notepad window.
  2. Type the following script:
start C:\Progra~1\OriginLab\<Program Folder>\<Version.exe> -r {impasc %1;};
Note: C:\Progra~1\OriginLab\<Program Folder>\ is the folder where your Origin version is installed ("C:\Progra~1" should be used for "C:\Program Files"). For instance, if your Origin version is 2016, you would type "start C:\Progra~1\OriginLab\Origin2016\Origin93.exe -r {impasc %1;};"
  1. Select File : Save As and set Save as type: to All Files (.). Rename the file with a .BAT extension (e.g. imp2org.bat).
  2. In Windows Explorer, right click on an ASCII file and choose Open With : Choose default program.
  3. Browse to select the BAT file you saved in step 3 and check the box of Always use the selected program to open this kind of file, then click OK.

Keywords:BAT File, Open Method, Script, Double Click, ASCII, DAT, CSV, data file