.nfo

Screenshot of an .nfo file
Filename extension	.nfo
Internet media type	text/x-nfo
Initial release	February 6, 1990; 27 years ago (1990-02-06)
Type of format	Plain text

.nfo (also written .NFO or NFO, a contraction of "info", or "information") is a commonly used three-letter filename extension for text files that accompany various digital scene releases with information about them.

NFO files are used to deliver release information about the media, such as the digital media title, authorship, year, or licence information. This information is delivered for publishing the digital media to make it searchable on the web as well as within local catalogues and libraries.

NFO files usually contain release information about the media. The information may include authorship and licence information. If the NFO file is for software, product installation notes can also be found. NFO files are also often found in demoscene productions, where the respective groups include them for credits, contact details, and the software requirements.

Unlike README files, NFO files often contain elaborate ASCII art and are also used for cataloguing purposes due to a consistent convention of the format so that digital media metadata can be retrieved programmatically.

NFO files were first introduced by "Fabulous Furlough" and "Candyman" of the elite PC warez organization called The Humble Guys, or THG. The THG group would first upload their package to their world headquarters, "The P.I.T.S. BBS", to establish distribution immediately. Such organizations are also known as warez groups or crack groups. The first use came in 1990 on the THG release of the PC game Bubble Bobble. This file was used in lieu of the more common README.TXT or README.1ST file names. The perpetuation of this file extension legacy was carried on by warez groups which followed after THG and is still in use to this day. Hence its strong presence on Usenet newsgroups that carry binaries and on P2P file trading networks.