What is an ACTION file?
The .ACTION file extension most often appears when you download a file from a web server. These web applications are typically built using the Apache Struts web framework. Instead of using a standard extension, the web browser saves the file using the server endpoint name, which ends in .ACTION. In most situations, these files are actually standard PDF documents, ZIP archives, or HTML web pages.
Apple Automator Actions
On macOS systems, an .ACTION file can also be an Automator Action. Apple uses these files as scripts or plugins to automate repetitive tasks on Mac computers. You usually find these files in the system library or within the Automator software folders.
How to open ACTION files?
Because the .ACTION extension has multiple possible meanings, you must identify its actual format first. If you downloaded the file from a website, renaming the extension from .ACTION to .PDF often allows you to open it with Adobe Acrobat Reader or Google Chrome. If the file is an archive, renaming it to .ZIP will let you extract it using 7-Zip. Do not invent certainty when trying to guess the file type; instead, we recommend using viewer.online/action to identify the actual format of your file.
Inspect and View Online
viewer.online/action analyzes .ACTION files to identify their exact format and creator software, shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews it. This helps you avoid trial and error when dealing with incorrectly named web downloads.
Summary
Because .ACTION files most commonly use the known PDF format, viewer.online/action can safely open and display them online, eliminating compatibility problems.