Extract text from Application archives (APA)
To convert APA archives to another format, you need FactoryTalk View or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Automation Project Backup" file type, you need software like FactoryTalk View or a similar tool.
The .apa file is primarily an HMI Application Archive created by Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk View (formerly RSView). It stores complete Human-Machine Interface (HMI) project data, including screens, automation tags, alarms, and industrial communication protocols. A secondary use case for the .apa extension is for APA Style Citation Exports generated by the Authenticus publication repository, which contain plain text academic references.
The Rockwell .apa format has significant disadvantages for standard computer users. It is a closed, proprietary Microsoft Compound archive that heavily locks your automation data to a specific vendor ecosystem. You cannot preview its contents natively in Windows or macOS, and opening it requires an expensive, active software license. It is designed strictly for system backups, not for direct editing or quick sharing.
Converting an .apa HMI archive to standard document formats like PDF or DOCX is not directly possible. Instead, it must be restored into a working project and compiled into a MER (Machine Edition Runtime) file. Conversely, if your file is a citation export, it can easily be converted to standard reference formats like RIS, BIB, or TXT.
Overall, this file format is difficult to open or convert natively. Often only the original software can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your APA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DOCX, MER, PDF, SBN, BIP, PRJ, BIBTEX, AMA and ACS files.
If you want to convert APA file to BIBTEX, AMA, ACS, JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP or RB, you can use FactoryTalk View or similar software from the "HMI Project Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to APA, try FactoryTalk View or another comparable tool in the "HMI Project Archive" 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 APA converter.