What Is an SPC File?

Most commonly, the file extension SPC stands for "software publisher certificate." Other types of SPC files include soundtrack files for Super Nintendo games and image files from an old Atari program, as well as numerous other uncommon file types. You can figure out how to open an SPC file using context clues, such as the file name and where you found it.

1. Software Publisher Certificate File

   • Software publisher certificate files have the file extension .spc. These files contain a digital signature in a secure document encoded using public-key cryptography standards, or PKCS. You will probably encounter this type of SPC file if you ever have to sign a document online, such as if you are signing up for insurance online or using an online program to file your taxes. You can create SPC files in a PKCS program, such as OpenSSL or Microsoft File Signing Tool, and open them in most Web browsers.

   SNES Soundtrack File

   • Soundtrack files for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES, use the file extension .spc. In this case SPC stands for the name of the SNES sound chip, "SPC700." This type of SPC file was probably extracted from an SNES ROM file in an emulator, which is used for playing SNES games on a computer. You can listen to these files using Winamp with the SNESAmp plug-in, the free media player Foobar2000, the video game music player Audio Overload or the SPC player vspcplay.

   Spectrum 512 Compressed Image

   • The file extension .spc may (rarely) indicate a compressed bitmap image created with Spectrum 512, an image-editing program for Atari ST computers. The 520ST, a 16-bit personal computer system, came out in 1985. Spectrum 512, so called because it could use up to 512 colors, created bitmaps, which are made up of tiny dots of color that combine to form an image. If you still have this type of SPC file after all this time, you can open it using XnView or convert it to a more accessible image format using Graphics Converter Pro.

   Other Files

   • A number of other programs use the file extension .spc for different purposes. An SPC file may also be a language specification file for the source code editor Crimson Editor; a code/game save file for Interact Shark Port; a Sound Scheme file for SoundScape, used for Timex Data-Link watches; a SpchComp-encoded audio recording of human speech; a spectral and chromatographic data file, used to analyze scientific data; a temporary file for the word processing program WordPerfect; or an input specification file used by the U.S. Census Bureau.