Extract text from Compressed archives (ARCHIVER)
To convert ARCHIVER archives to another format, you need Xcode or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Serialized Object Data" file type, you need software like Xcode or a similar tool.
A .archiver file functions primarily as a serialized application object data file generated by iOS and macOS software. It is used to save complex application states, object graphs, or custom app configurations. A secondary, rarer use case is as a proprietary compressed archive created by the macOS compression utility Archiver.
Within the Apple ecosystem, developers rely on Xcode and the NSKeyedArchiver API to write and read these serialized files. For compressed archives, users need the Archiver app by Incredible Bee.
The main disadvantage of the .archiver format is its rigid dependency on the original software. When an app serializes data using NSKeyedArchiver, it often outputs a binary property list (bplist). This renders the file unreadable in standard text editors. Furthermore, the file does not just contain raw data; it contains encoded class objects. Without the original app's codebase to interpret those objects, the data is essentially locked away.
To make this data usable outside the specific application, the best conversion targets are XML, JSON, or standard PLIST formats. If dealing with an Incredible Bee compressed archive, converting to a universal standard like ZIP or 7Z is highly recommended. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible with convert.guru.
Ultimately, the .archiver data format is extremely difficult to parse accurately. It is a closed, proprietary serialization format, and standard online converters fail to process it because they lack the specific object class dictionaries required for decoding. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ARCHIVER file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert ARCHIVER file to , you can use Xcode or similar software from the "App Data Serialization" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to ARCHIVER, try Xcode or another comparable tool in the "App Data Serialization" 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 ARCHIVER converter.