How Do You Open a CFM File?

A CFM file is a ColdFusion Markup file and is a simple text file, meaning it can be opened with any text editing software. CFM files are used and opened by Adobe ColdFusion, a commercial Web application development platform. However, you have to buy this software.

  1. Open a basic text editing application

    Each operating system comes with a basic text editing application such as Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on OS X, or gedit and KWrite on Linux. Because a CFM file contains computer source code, the file is easier to read when opened by a text editing application designed for programming. As of 2014, the most popular text editor among programmers is Sublime Text editor. It is freely available, and it works on Windows, OS X and Linux. Open the text editing application you prefer.

  2. Open the CFM file

    Once you’re in the text editor, look under the File Menu on the top of the window and select Open File. Navigate to your CFM file, and open it.

  3. Read or modify the CFM file

    You can now read or modify the CFM file. However, to understand the contents of the file, one must be a Web programmer and skilled in ColdFusion programming language.