Extract text from Archive and backup files (ARCH)
To convert ARCH Archives to another format, you need WatchGuard System Manager or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Proprietary Archive File" file type, you need software like WatchGuard System Manager or a similar tool.
The .ARCH file extension is heavily fragmented. It does not represent one standardized format. Instead, it is a generic label used by completely unrelated software programs to denote an 'archive.' The most common uses include WatchGuard network appliance log archives, Genesys contact center configurations, and traditional Unix archive files. Other software platforms, such as Nemetschek Allplan (for CAD backup data), Agfa HealthCare (for medical imaging), and CamScanner (for document storage), also rely on the .ARCH extension.
The primary disadvantage of this format is its extreme ambiguity. Because dozens of different programs output .ARCH files, operating systems cannot automatically detect the correct application to open them. Many of these files are highly proprietary. They require specific enterprise environments - such as a physical firewall appliance or a specialized database - to read properly. For example, a WatchGuard log archive cannot be casually browsed, and a Genesys configuration file relies on its original schema to make sense.
Users typically want to convert .ARCH files to standard archive formats like ZIP or TAR, or extract them to TXT to inspect the data without buying expensive licenses. However, because these are closed, proprietary formats, standard online converters almost always fail to process them. They blindly attempt conversion without knowing the file's true origin.
Just drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported. convert.guru inspects the internal binary signature of your file. Because some .ARCH files are actually just renamed ZIP containers or Apple PLIST files under the hood, our platform can often bypass the generic extension, reveal the true underlying format, and extract the embedded data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ARCH file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PEA, PAQ9A and PMS files.
If you want to convert ARCH file to ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, CAB, ACE, ARJ or LHA, you can use WatchGuard System Manager or similar software from the "Data Archive and Backup Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert XXE, 7Z, Z, PAK, LHA, DEB, UUE, TAR, LZH, ZIP, PKG or RAR files to ARCH, try WatchGuard System Manager or another comparable tool in the "Data Archive and Backup Storage" 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 ARCH converter.