How do I open a .SAM file on Windows or Mac?

You can open .SAM files using SAMtools, IGV, UGENE, VS Code, BioPerl / Biopython. If you do not have native software installed, you can use OpenAnyFile's free File Identifier or convert .SAM to a standard format in your browser.

Is a .SAM file safe to open?

This format carries a safety rating of Low Risk. Text equivalent of BAM; convert to binary BAM for faster pipeline throughput

Can I convert a .SAM file to other formats?

Yes! .SAM can be converted to formats such as .BAM directly in your web browser.

What should I do if a .SAM file is corrupted or won't open?

If your .SAM file displays an invalid header or signature error, check its magic bytes hex header (Varies) using OpenAnyFile's Magic Byte Detector or follow our step-by-step file repair guide.

How do I open .SAM files?

You can open .SAM files using SAMtools, IGV, UGENE, VS Code, BioPerl / Biopython.

Medical & Science • MIME: text/plain

.SAM – SAM File Format

Q: What is a .SAM file?

A .SAM file is a SAM File Format associated with Medical & Science. SAM (Sequence Alignment Map) is a tab-delimited text format for storing biological sequences aligned to a reference sequence, created for high-throughput DNA sequencers.

SAM (Sequence Alignment Map) is a tab-delimited text format for storing biological sequences aligned to a reference sequence, created for high-throughput DNA sequencers.

Primary Category Medical & Science

MIME Type text/plain

Magic Bytes Signature Varies

Security Risk Rating Low Risk

Recommended Software to Open .SAM

SAMtools

windows, mac, linux • Free

IGV

windows, mac, linux • Free

UGENE

windows, mac, linux • Free

VS Code

windows, mac, linux • Free

BioPerl / Biopython

windows, mac, linux • Free