What is a .IQY file?
The file extension .IQY stands for Internet Query. This type of file is used to store information that helps your computer ask for data from the internet. Inside an .IQY file, you'll find a web address (URL) and some extra details that tell your computer how to get specific information from a webpage. Often, this webpage is an .ASP page, which is a kind of webpage that can send back data when asked.
One of the main uses of an .IQY file is to bring data from the internet into Microsoft Excel, a program many people use for organizing and analyzing information in spreadsheets. When you use an .IQY file with Excel, it can automatically fill your spreadsheet with data from the web, saving you the time and effort of entering it by hand.
By default, when you create or download an .IQY file, it's saved in a special folder on your computer that's usually found at \Program Files\Microsoft Office\Queries. This is just the standard place Windows puts these files, but you can move them if you need to.
To open an .IQY file, you'll mainly use Microsoft Excel, especially the version known as Microsoft Excel 365. This version of Excel is updated regularly with new features, including the ability to handle .IQY files smoothly. However, because an .IQY file is essentially a text file with specific instructions, you can also open it with simple text editing programs to see or change its contents. These programs include Microsoft Notepad, which comes with Windows, and Apple TextEdit, which is included with macOS. Other text editors can work too, as long as they can read plain text files.
So, if you have an .IQY file and you want to use the data inside it, your best bet is to open it with Microsoft Excel 365. But if you're curious about what's inside the file or you need to make a small change to the URL or parameters, you can use Notepad, TextEdit, or another text editor to open and edit the file.
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