The SAV file extension is known as a common file, because it is used by different computer applications. The SAV file most typically represents a program or video game that is partially completed. The files save information so that a user may step away from a program session and find it in the same state upon return.
General Usage
- SAV files are used by a variety of software programs to represent a saved file. The extension is most commonly utilized by video games to store a partially completed game until the user returns to it. These files allow a gamer to open a game in the exact location in which he left off -- the game will store information such as the character being used, set preferences and current score.
Nintendo DS Files
- One gaming application that uses SAV files is the Nintendo DS handheld device. The Nintendo DS saves completed levels, experience points and other in-game resources in SAV files. While Nintendo DS files may be transferred to a flash drive, if the portable storage drive is not compatible with SAV files, the data will not transfer properly.
SPSS
- Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, commonly referred to as SPSS, also uses the file extension SAV. SPSS is often used in academia or other endeavors that seek to calculate research data correlations. SAV files in SPSS contain dataset rows and columns -- the information entered manually by the user and the data generated by the SPSS software. The only program that can open these files is IBM SPSS.
Parallels Desktop
- Parallels Desktop is a program available only to Mac users; the software enables the use of Windows on a Mac computer. SAV files in this context are used to store the state of the program when it is temporarily paused. The files may only be loaded by Parallels Desktop on a Mac.
