What is a FLOW file?
A .FLOW file typically stores workflow automation definitions or data flow processes. Multiple software platforms use this extension for different purposes. For example, Huggy uses .FLOW files in JSON format to define automation workflows. Salesforce Flow Builder saves process automation flows using an XML structure. H2O.ai Flow relies on .FLOW files for its machine learning notebooks. Other systems use this extension as well, including cardiovascular simulation data for SimVascular, network traffic captures for nfdump, chatbot routines for Chatzz, and older prototype projects like the Expression SketchFlow Data File by Microsoft.
How to open FLOW files?
If the file contains plain text JSON or XML data, you can open it with any basic code editor such as Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or Notepad. If the file contains binary data, such as a NetFlow capture, you must use the specific software that generated it. Because .FLOW has multiple possible meanings, we recommend using viewer.online/flow to identify the actual format of the user's file. viewer.online/flow analyzes .FLOW files to identify their exact format and creator software, shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews it.
Best practices and troubleshooting
Never blindly rename a file extension to force a program to open it. If your text editor displays unreadable characters when opening a .FLOW file, it is likely a binary file. In that case, you must identify the source system. Network administrators should use the command-line tools provided by the nfdump suite to read traffic capture files.
Summary
A .FLOW file can represent a business automation workflow, a machine learning notebook, or a specialized data capture archive. Because .FLOW files often use the known JSON format, viewer.online/flow can safely open and display them online, eliminating compatibility problems.