You're here because you have a file that has a file extension ending in .pf. Files with the file extension .pf can only be launched by certain applications. It's possible that .pf files are data files rather than documents or media, which means they're not meant to be viewed at all.

The .pf file extension was developed by Microsoft and it refers to files that Windows Prefetcher created. Prefetcher is responsible for speeding the boot process of a certain application. For instance when a user opens a program, it does not instantly appear on screen and the user cannot use it at once because the application is still loading. During the loading process, the system relies on finding .pf files and accesses these files in order for the boot process to speed up. These files contain trace records and they are always essential when accessing any application. Files with the .pf extension are also called private files because these are Stuffit Deluxe files that are encrypted. They can be any file and any archive but as long as they are compressed using Stuffit Deluxe, they are affixed the .pf extension. The file extension refers to encrypted files which mean they cannot be opened by just anybody who does not know the password to these files. These .pf files are also known as password-protected files because a password is used to access these files. This is often used to store confidential information.

Launch a .pf file, or any other file on your PC, by double-clicking it. If your file associations are set up correctly, the application that's meant to open your .pf file will open it. It's possible you may need to download or purchase the correct application. It's also possible that you have the correct application on your PC, but .pf files aren't yet associated with it. In this case, when you try to open a .pf file, you can tell Windows which application is the correct one for that file. From then on, opening a  .pf file will open the correct application. Click here to fix .pf file association errors

Be careful not to rename the extension on .pf files, or any other files. This will not change the file type. Only special conversion software can change a file from one file type to another.

A file extension is the set of three or four characters at the end of a filename; in this case, .pf. File extensions tell you what type of file it is, and tell Windows what programs can open it. Windows often associates a default program to each file extension, so that when you double-click the file, the program launches automatically. When that program is no longer on your PC, you can sometimes get an error when you try to open the associated file.