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TMP is a generic extension for temporary files — scratch data that applications create while processing, installing, or updating. Every time you edit a Word document, install software, or extract an archive, the operating system and applications create .tmp files in your temp directory. They're the digital equivalent of scratch paper.
There's no standard format for .tmp files. They might contain partially written documents, decompressed installation data, cached database queries, print spool data, or intermediate computation results. Windows stores them in `%TEMP%` (usually `C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Temp`), macOS uses `/tmp` or `/var/folders/`, and Linux uses `/tmp` or `/var/tmp`.
TMP files should be cleaned up automatically by the applications that create them — but they often aren't, especially after crashes or forced shutdowns. Over time, the temp directory accumulates gigabytes of orphaned .tmp files. It's generally safe to delete them when no applications are running, and both Windows (Disk Cleanup) and macOS (periodic system maintenance) include automated temp file cleanup.
* For text-based temp files