Compile and Decompile PBO Files for Arma 3

Published June 9, 2026 · By Host Havoc Technical Support Team

A PBO file (Packed Bank of files, also read as Packed Bohemia Object) is the packaging format used by Arma 3 for missions, addons, and mods. You need to decompile a PBO to edit its contents, and recompile it before uploading it back to your server. To upload a finished mission PBO, see custom mission setup.

Decompile (Extract) a PBO

  1. Download and install PBO Manager.
  2. Download the PBO file you want to edit to your local computer. If the file is on your server, open the File Manager in your control panel and download it from there.
  3. Right-click the PBO file, select PBO Manager, then choose Extract to <mission name>. This creates a folder containing the mission contents.
  4. Edit the files inside the extracted folder. We recommend Notepad++ for editing SQF scripts and other PBO file types.

Compile (Pack) a PBO

  1. If you have not already done so, download and install PBO Manager.
  2. Right-click the folder you want to pack, select PBO Manager, then choose Pack into "<folder name>".
  3. A PBO file will appear containing the packed contents.
  4. Open the File Manager in your control panel, navigate to the mpmissions folder, and upload the new PBO. If an older version exists, delete it first before uploading the replacement.