File Inspector — Is This File Encrypted?
Drop any file to find out what it actually is. Magic-byte detection names the format, and an entropy reading tells you whether the contents are encrypted, merely compressed, or plain text all along.
Intended for your own single-player save files. Editing saves in multiplayer or online games breaks their terms of service and can get your account banned. Always keep a backup of the original file before you change anything.
Entropy measures how unpredictable the bytes are, from 0 to 8 bits per byte. It is the fastest way to tell encryption from mere obfuscation: genuinely encrypted data sits above 7.9, while XOR-obfuscated text usually stays below 6.
How to use
- 1Drop the file you want to identify.
- 2Read the verdict at the top — it says whether the file is encrypted, compressed or readable.
- 3Follow the suggested next step, which points at the right tool for that format.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you tell encryption from compression?
You largely cannot, from entropy alone — both produce near-random bytes above 7.5 bits. What separates them is the header: gzip always starts 1f 8b, zlib with 78, ZIP with PK. Encrypted data has no header at all. So high entropy plus a known magic number means compression, while high entropy with no recognisable header suggests encryption.
What is entropy?
A measure of how unpredictable the bytes are, from 0 to 8 bits per byte. English text sits around 4 to 4.5, structured binary around 5 to 6, and compressed or encrypted data above 7.5. It is the single fastest signal about what you are looking at.
My save file shows around 6 bits of entropy. What does that mean?
That it is probably obfuscated rather than encrypted — XOR against a repeating key leaves entropy in the 5 to 6.5 range because the underlying text structure survives. Real encryption would push it above 7.9. Try the XOR Key Recovery tool.
Is my file uploaded to check it?
No. The file is read into memory by your browser and analysed there. It never touches a network, which is exactly why this is safe for personal saves and private documents.