Show NFO Files
View .nfo scene-release files with correct CP437 characters. Runs entirely in your browser, so your data never leaves your device.
Drop a file here, or click to browse
Files never leave your device
Output
The result appears here as you type.
How to use Show NFO Files
- 1. Drop in your .nfo file. Browse for or drag in the file; .nfo is expected, but any plain-text or binary text file works. The tool reads the raw bytes directly instead of trusting your editor's encoding guess.
- 2. Let CP437 do its work. NFO art was drawn for the IBM PC's code page 437, where bytes 176-223 are shading blocks and box-drawing lines. The viewer maps every byte through that table, so ░▒▓█ borders render as the artist intended.
- 3. Copy the decoded art. The output pane shows the file as proper Unicode text in a monospaced layout. Copy it to archive the art, paste it into a chat or save it as UTF-8 for modern viewers.
When to use Show NFO Files
Show NFO Files renders scene-release .nfo files the way they looked in DOS. Opened in Notepad or VS Code, these files turn into rows of accented letters because modern editors decode the bytes as Latin-1 or UTF-8. This viewer applies the original CP437 code page, and since the file never leaves your browser, it works offline on anything.
- Reading a release info file properly. A downloaded release ships with an .nfo full of greetz and install notes wrapped in elaborate borders. View it here to read the actual instructions instead of a wall of à and ¦ characters.
- Preserving classic ASCII art scenes. Demoscene and warez-era art groups produced remarkable CP437 pieces now scattered across archives. Decode them faithfully to Unicode so they can be republished on the modern web without corruption.
- Converting art for a website or README. You want a piece of NFO art in a project README or personal site. Decode it once here and the copied Unicode version displays correctly in any UTF-8 context.
- Diagnosing mojibake in old text files. An inherited DOS-era log or BBS export looks scrambled in every modern editor. Loading it here tells you within seconds whether CP437 was the missing decoding.
Examples
Decode
Input
(.nfo file)
Output
░▒▓█ box-drawing art
About the Show NFO Files tool
Show NFO Files does its work locally, right in the browser. View .nfo scene-release files with correct CP437 characters. There is no upload step, no queue and no account, and your data never travels over the network.
It belongs to the ASCII Tools collection on EditSafely, a set of 81 small, focused ASCII utilities that share the same instant, private workspace.
There is nothing to configure. Provide the input and the result appears on its own. A worked example further down the page shows exactly what the tool produces for a real input.
Running locally also makes the tool fast and dependable: results appear as you type or drop a file, there is no server outage that can take it down mid-task, and confidential data can be processed without a second thought.
Frequently asked questions
Does Show NFO Files cost anything?
Yes, it is completely free. All 2,658 tools on EditSafely work without an account, a subscription or usage limits.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No data leaves your device. The whole tool is JavaScript that runs inside your browser tab, so there is no upload, no server-side processing and no log of what you did. If you disconnect from the internet after the page loads, it keeps working.
Which files does Show NFO Files accept?
It accepts NFO files, plain text files and binary files. There is no file size cap imposed by a server; very large files are limited only by your device's memory.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
Nothing to install and no account needed. Open the page in any up-to-date browser, including on a phone or tablet, and the tool is ready.
How do I use the result?
The output panel has a one-click copy button, and you can keep refining the input while you work; the result updates in place as you type.