Properties of ORG Files and How to Open a File with .org Extension

ORG files exist as 3 different types. Please find information about each of them below.

Type 1: Lotus Organizer File

General Information

Title	ORG File Extension
Extension	.org
Full Form	Lotus Organizer File
File Type	Personal Information Manager File
Developer	IBM
MIME Type	application/vnd.lotus-organizer

File Function

Primary Function	Store information
Additional Functions	Calendar, contacts, email
Features	Scheduling, Task tracking

File Characteristics

Quality	Structured data
Supports Layers	No
Supports Transparency	No
Editable	Yes

Use Cases

Personal Management	Yes
Business Organization	Yes
Time Scheduling	Yes

Security and Practices

Security Risks	Data leakage
Best Practices	Backup, Access control

Historical/Version Information

Initial Release	1990s
Latest Version	Lotus Organizer 6.1

Associated Types

Similar Extensions

.nsf, .ntf, .lwp

Software Compatibility

Software	Usage Policy	OS Compatibility
IBM Lotus Organizer	Paid	Windows
LibreOffice	Free	Windows, Mac, Linux

Type 2: Emacs Org Text Document

Org-mode documents can be viewed with any text editor. Emacs org-mode Document files have the .org extension. GNU Emacs creates these files to store plain text documents. Simple marks organize hierarchy of text, like lists, headings, and font variations. Metadata like title, author, and date created may also be stored.

Org Mode relies on plain-text markup language used in .org files. It is an authoring and TODO list managing tool for GNU Emacs originally created in 2003. Org mode helps write structured documents and provides exporting options. Files also used for literate programming and reproducible research. Org mode helps organize tasks flexibly from daily to project planning. It allows logging, multiple task views, exporting agendas, etc. Built on Outline mode for large file structure. Cycling visibility and editing structure help work with tree. Tables easily created with built-in editor.

Documents can export to formats like HTML, LaTeX, plain text to render outline appropriately. Can use LaTeX for math. Format-specific markup possible. Emacs comes with AUCTeX for writing TeX files with preview module. But writing in Org mode preferred as plain text source independent of design. Can export to multiple formats including LaTeX and PDF.

Org-mode variant of Outline mode for using Emacs as organizer and/or authoring system. .org files opened in Org mode. Can explicitly switch to it with M-x org-mode. Like Outline mode, entries have heading lines starting with ‘*’ characters. Lines beginning with ‘#’ are comments.

I started learning Emacs by reading about Org mode to organize life in plain text. My settings based on this. Associate .org, .org_archive, .txt files with org-mode.

Resume clocking tasks when Emacs restarted and continue counting. Do not prompt to resume active clock.

Org-mode is Emacs mode for notes, projects, TODOs. Handles more like calendar, diary, agenda and exporting documents. Focus on note taking and exporting. Starts with .org file. Created in Doomemacs with SPC followed by name. Template fills title.

General Information

Title	ORG File Extension
Extension	.org
Full Form	Emacs Org Text Document
File Type	Text Document
Developer	Carsten Dominik
MIME Type	text/org

File Function

Primary Function	Note-taking, Planning
Additional Functions	Task management, Exporting
Features	Plain text, Markup

File Characteristics

Quality	Human-readable
Supports Layers	N/A
Supports Transparency	N/A
Editable	Yes

Use Cases

Note-taking	Yes
Project Management	Yes
Documentation	Yes
Publishing	Yes

Security and Practices

Security Risks	Low
Best Practices	Version control, Backup

Historical/Version Information

Initial Release	2003
Latest Version	Org 9.5 (2021)

Associated Types

Similar Extensions

.txt, .md, .rst

Software Compatibility

Software	Usage Policy	OS Compatibility
Emacs with Org-mode	Free	Cross-platform
Other text editors	Free	Varies

Type 3: Organya Music File

ORG files have uses. One use is Emacs org-mode Document. Read more about other uses below. Emacs org-mode Documents can be viewed with text editors. Emacs text editor creates and edits these files. A ...

General Information

Title	ORGANYA File Extension
Extension	.org
Full Form	Organya Music File
File Type	Audio File
Developer	Pixel
MIME Type	application/octet-stream

File Function

Primary Function	Store music data
Additional Functions	Playback in-game
Features	16 tracks, Customizable

File Characteristics

Quality	8-bit, 16-bit
Supports Layers	Yes
Supports Transparency	N/A
Editable	Yes

Use Cases

Game Development	Yes
Music Composition	Yes
Fan Creations	Yes

Security and Practices

Security Risks	Low
Best Practices	Regular backups

Historical/Version Information

Initial Release	2004
Latest Version	N/A

Associated Types

Similar Extensions

.mid, .it, .xm

Software Compatibility

Software	Usage Policy	OS Compatibility
Organya	Free	Windows
Cave Story	Free	Windows, Mac, Linux
OrgMaker	Free	Windows