Extract text from Aston 2 themes (A2THEME)
To convert A2THEME themes to another format, you need Aston 2 or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Desktop Customization Theme" file type, you need software like Aston 2 or a similar tool.
The .A2THEME file format is a proprietary desktop customization package used by Aston 2, a Windows shell replacement created by Gladiators Software. It bundles UI layouts, desktop backgrounds, custom icons, and color schemes into a single file.
Historically, users applied these themes using the Aston Shell application to completely replace the standard Windows Explorer interface.
The primary disadvantage of the .A2THEME format is its extreme obsolescence. Aston 2 was designed for legacy Windows operating systems like Windows XP and Windows 7. It is not supported by modern systems like Windows 10 or 11. Because it is a closed, proprietary file type tied to dead software, you cannot easily view or reuse its contents. Standard online converters will immediately fail because they do not recognize the obscure extension.
If you want to recover the graphics from an old theme, the most practical conversion targets are ZIP (to extract the archive), PNG, or JPG (for the embedded images). You will lose the functional theme layout, but you will save the underlying digital artwork.
Because this file format is highly proprietary, it is difficult to open without the original software. Our tool will inspect the file's binary signature. If our analysis detects standard compressed assets inside, we can extract the embedded content so you can retrieve your locked images and icons.
Convert.Guru analyzes your A2THEME file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert A2THEME file to INI, CFG, CONF, CONFIG, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, ENV, PROPERTIES or RC, you can use Aston 2 or similar software from the "Desktop Theme Package" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert ZSHRC, CONF, RCFILE, GITCONFIG, RC, PLIST, BASHRC, CONFIG, PROFILE, INI, PREFS or CFG files to A2THEME, try Aston 2 or another comparable tool in the "Desktop Theme Package" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our A2THEME converter.