Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your BA2 file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert BA2 to another file type
To convert BA2 archives to another format, you need Creation Kit or other Game software.
Convert a file to BA2
To convert other file formats to the "Game Data Container" file type, you need software like Creation Kit or a similar tool.
About BA2 files
The .BA2 file format represents the Bethesda Archive 2 standard, a proprietary container used heavily by the Creation Engine for modern Bethesda Game Studios titles like Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Starfield. These files function similarly to a ZIP archive but are highly optimized for game streaming, packing thousands of assets - textures, 3D meshes, sound effects, and interface scripts - into a single, consolidated footprint. While efficient for the game engine, this proprietary compression is a major drawback for modders and gamers: .BA2 files cannot be opened or viewed with standard utilities like WinRAR or 7-Zip. Users typically encounter these files when attempting to install mods manually or troubleshoot game crashes caused by corrupt asset data. To access or modify the contents - for example, to retexture a weapon or adjust a sound file - you must "convert" the archive by extracting it into its constituent parts. Common target formats for extraction include DDS (DirectDraw Surface) for textures, NIF for 3D models, and XWM or WAV for audio. Once extracted, these "loose files" can be edited in creative software like Adobe Photoshop or Blender and then either used loosely by the game or repacked using the official Creation Kit.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BA2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ESP, B2A, ESM, NIF, 20O and STREAMINGASSETS files.
FAQ
If you want to convert BA2 file to EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK, WAD, PK3, PK4, BSP, MAP, SAV or DAT, you can use Creation Kit or similar software from the "Game Asset Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MOD, BIN, CFG, SCX, DAT, MPQ, LOG, CUE, INI, EXE, SCM or ISO files to BA2, try Creation Kit or another comparable tool in the "Game Asset Archive" category.
The BA2 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 BA2 converter.