Extract text from Sony raw or backup files (ARQ)
To convert ARQ Sony files to another format, you need Arq Backup or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Backup Archive / RAW Image" file type, you need software like Arq Backup or a similar tool.
The .ARQ file extension has four completely distinct real-world applications. Primarily, it is a compressed backup archive generated by Arq Backup or Mitchell OnDemand to safely store data. Alternatively, it is a Sony Pixel Shift RAW image file generated by high-end Sony Alpha digital cameras (combining multiple exposures into one massive RAW file). Less commonly, .ARQ acts as a Brazilian electronic XML invoice response from Tinus NFSe, or a ZIP-based software activation request from Graphisoft Archicad.
To open a Sony .ARQ image, you need specialized software like Sony Imaging Edge Desktop or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Backup archives demand the original Arq client. The main disadvantage of the .ARQ format is its proprietary, fragmented nature. Sony Pixel Shift files often exceed 100MB, cannot be previewed in operating systems, and are entirely unsupported by web browsers. Arq backup containers are heavily encrypted and use a proprietary blob structure that standard archiving tools cannot extract.
Converting a photographic .ARQ file to JPG is necessary for web sharing, while converting to DNG preserves RAW editing capabilities universally. Converting to JPG will permanently discard the immense 16-shot color depth and dynamic range. For the Archicad or Brazilian tax variants, converting to ZIP or XML exposes the underlying standard data.
This file format is difficult to open or convert because its internal structure depends entirely on the source software - whether it is a proprietary RAW image wrapper, an encrypted backup block, or a rigid XML schema. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. Just drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ARQ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MBZ, PCV and PMB files.
If you want to convert ARQ file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use Arq Backup or similar software from the "Backup Storage & RAW Photography" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to ARQ, try Arq Backup or another comparable tool in the "Backup Storage & RAW Photography" 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 ARQ converter.