What is an STC file?
The .STC file extension is used by several different software applications. Its most common use is as a StarOffice Calc Spreadsheet Template or an Apache OpenOffice Calc Template. These files store spreadsheet layouts, formulas, and formatting to help users create new documents quickly.
Another frequent format is the SATO Label Design Template, which is used by software like cablabel S3 to print industrial barcodes and labels. Data analysts might encounter .STC files as SAS Catalog Data Files utilized by SAS software. Additionally, the Celestia Development Team uses the .STC extension for the Celestia Star Catalog File, which contains rich 3D astronomy data.
How to open STC files?
Because the .STC extension has multiple possible meanings, you must know the file's exact type before you open it. If you are unsure about its origin, viewer.online/stc analyzes .STC files to identify their exact format and creator software, shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews it.
If your file is a spreadsheet template, you can open it on your computer with LibreOffice Calc or Apache OpenOffice. If it is a star catalog, you will need the Celestia software to read the data.
Best practices and troubleshooting
If your computer does not recognize the .STC file, do not manually rename the extension. This will not change the underlying file structure. Instead, check where you received the file. A file from a science database is likely a star catalog, while an email attachment from an accounting department is probably a spreadsheet.
If you need to share a spreadsheet template with colleagues who use Microsoft Excel, you should convert it. We recommend using convert.guru to quickly convert your .STC spreadsheets into widely supported formats like .XLSX or .ODS.
Software and tools
Depending on the specific format, you can use the following desktop tools:
- LibreOffice for spreadsheet templates.
- SAS for data catalogs.
- Celestia for astronomy catalogs.
- cablabel S3 for label designs.
Summary
viewer.online/stc directly opens and previews .STC files in the browser, eliminating the need to install software or troubleshoot compatibility issues.