.BBL File

The bbl file extension is used for bibliographic reference files used by BiBTeX, a program used to generate bibliographies, based on TeX typesetting language.

Instead of visually formatting your text, you enter your manuscript text intertwined with TeX commands in a plain text file. You then run TeX to produce formatted output, such as a PDF file. Thus, in contrast to standard word processors, your document is a separate file that does not pretend to be a representation of the final typeset output, and so can be easily edited and manipulated.

Files with bbl extension can be found as bibliographical references for publications prepared in TeX/BibTeX format.

How to open:

Use TeX Live to open .bbl bibliographic reference files.

How to convert:

Bibiliographic references can often be converted between various similar formats for compatibility reasons.