Extract text from Steam manifest files (ACF)
To convert ACF manifest files to another format, you need Steam or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Application Manifest File" file type, you need software like Steam or a similar tool.
The .ACF file format is most commonly associated with Steam Application Manifest Files. Steam, developed by Valve, uses these files to store critical metadata about downloaded games, including install paths, update states, AppIDs, and build versions. Secondary uses for the .ACF extension include audio project configurations in CRI Middleware AtomCraft, aircraft models in the X-Plane flight simulator, and legacy custom filters in Adobe Photoshop.
The main disadvantage of Steam's .ACF files is their rigid, proprietary structure. While they are technically plain text written in Valve's "KeyValues" format, they are strictly formatted and sensitive to tampering. Manually editing an .ACF file to fix a broken game path often corrupts the installation state, causing Steam to unnecessarily redownload gigabytes of game data. Furthermore, because they are named using numeric AppIDs (e.g., appmanifest_730.acf), it is incredibly annoying for users to identify which file belongs to which game without opening each one individually.
To make these files human-readable or easier to parse for custom game launchers and management scripts, you need to convert them. For programmatic use or web integration, convert your .ACF to JSON or XML. If you just need to quickly inspect the contents without risking corruption in Steam, convert to TXT. Drag and drop your file here to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ACF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TXT, XCF, AVIF, RTF, PDF, RAR, ZIP, ACSM, PSB, ACT, AMP, SCF and MCF files.
If you want to convert ACF file to SCF, MCF, EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK, WAD, PK3, PK4, BSP or MAP, you can use Steam or similar software from the "Game Installation Metadata Tracking" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MOD, BIN, CFG, SCX, DAT, MPQ, LOG, CUE, INI, EXE, SCM or ISO files to ACF, try Steam or another comparable tool in the "Game Installation Metadata Tracking" 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 ACF converter.