ARX Converter

Extract text from ARX files

Select File
Drop or upload your .ARX file

Online File Converter

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How to extract text from your ARX file

Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your ARX file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.

Convert ARX to another file type

To convert your ARX file to another format, you need Autodesk AutoCAD or other Plugin software.

Convert a file to ARX

To convert other file formats to the "Compiled Extension Library" file type, you need software like Autodesk AutoCAD or a similar tool.

About ARX files

The .ARX extension is shared by several distinct formats, creating immediate confusion for users. The most common iteration is the AutoCAD Runtime Extension, a compiled binary plugin used by Autodesk AutoCAD. These are essentially renamed DLL files that function as powerful executables to automate complex design tasks. Users typically encounter friction here because these files cannot be "opened" like a drawing (Dwg); they must be loaded into the software, are strictly version-dependent, and pose security risks if the source is unknown.

However, nearly 40% of .ARX files are actually data-rich documents - specifically Apex Reports or Wonderware Historical Archives - disguised by the same extension. In these cases, the user's problem is proprietary lock-in: valuable report data or industrial logs are trapped in a legacy format that modern systems cannot read.

Best Conversion Targets:

For Apex/Wonderware (Data & Reports): Convert these files to CSV or XLSX to migrate historical data into Microsoft Excel for analysis. For static preservation, convert reports to PDF.
For ARIS (Business Process): These are often compressed archives. Rename the extension to ZIP or use a converter to extract the internal XML/Graphics contents.
For AutoCAD (Plugins): These cannot be converted to documents. They require the specific version of AutoCAD they were compiled for.

Convert.Guru analyzes your ARX file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.

Users also converted ARX4, ARXP, ARKX, SHP, STP, DWG, ZIP, UASSET, BIN, BAK, CAD and PCP files.

FAQ

If you want to convert ARX file to DLL, SO, DYLIB, BUNDLE, PLUGIN, XPI, CRX, SAFARIEXTZ, APPEX, KEXT, SYS or DRV, you can use Autodesk AutoCAD or similar software from the "AutoCAD Extension Module" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….

To convert LV2, DYLIB, VST, AAX, DRV, TDE, LADSPA, BUNDLE, AU, DLL, RTAS or SO files to ARX, try Autodesk AutoCAD or another comparable tool in the "AutoCAD Extension Module" category.

The ARX Converter Story

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 ARX converter.