Extract text from GarageBand projects (BAND)
To convert BAND projects to another format, you need Apple GarageBand or other Audio software.
To convert other file formats to the "DAW Project File" file type, you need software like Apple GarageBand or a similar tool.
The .band file is a proprietary audio project package created by Apple GarageBand, a popular digital audio workstation (DAW) for macOS and iOS. It acts as a complex container that holds multi-track audio recordings, MIDI sequences, software instrument parameters, and arrangement metadata. Rather than being a single audio file, it is internally formatted as a macOS directory bundle (often utilizing AppleDouble resource forks) or archived as a standard ZIP file to keep all project assets in one place.
The primary disadvantage of the .band format is its strict Apple ecosystem lock-in. It is proprietary and exclusively supported by macOS and iOS software. Windows and Linux users cannot open .band files natively, and standard media players will not recognize them. Furthermore, these project files frequently exceed several gigabytes in size because they store raw, uncompressed audio takes and high-fidelity virtual instrument samples.
To share your finished music or play it on non-Apple devices, you must export the project to standard, flat audio formats like MP3, WAV, or M4A. However, converting to these flat formats means you will lose all project metadata - you can no longer edit individual tracks, tweak volume levels, or modify MIDI notes once the file is rendered.
Because .band is a closed, proprietary package format, standard online audio converters fail to process it. Usually, only the original Apple GarageBand software or its professional counterpart, Apple Logic Pro, can properly read the project logic and export the final mix. convert.guru can still help. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Since many .band files are essentially ZIP archives in disguise, our analysis can often detect the embedded media, allowing you to extract the raw audio assets, like AIF or WAV stems, trapped inside the project folder.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BAND file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZIP, PROJECTDATA, MP3, PKGF, M4A, WAV, BANK, MOV, TMDX, MP4, FLP, CAF and MWAND files.
If you want to convert BAND file to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use Apple GarageBand or similar software from the "Audio Project Package Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to BAND, try Apple GarageBand or another comparable tool in the "Audio Project Package 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 BAND converter.