Extract text from BlackBerry backups (BBB)
To convert BBB backups to another format, you need BlackBerry Desktop Software or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Smartphone Backup Archive" file type, you need software like BlackBerry Desktop Software or a similar tool.
A .BBB file is primarily a BlackBerry device backup file created by BlackBerry Desktop Software. It contains a user's contacts, SMS messages, calendar entries, and phone settings. Historically, Research In Motion (RIM) used this format to secure user data when syncing smartphones to a PC. In rare cases, a .BBB file can also be a Binary Blob File used to store game text and font data in classic video games like Fable (by Big Blue Box), or associated with 3D animation projects like Big Buck Bunny.
The main disadvantage of the .BBB format is its obsolescence. BlackBerry devices are entirely discontinued, meaning you cannot natively restore this backup to a modern Android or iOS device. Furthermore, if the backup was created with password protection, the contents are heavily encrypted, making data recovery impossible without the original password. Even when unencrypted, the internal data is structured in proprietary database formats that standard text editors cannot parse. This closed ecosystem makes standard online converters fail to process the file.
Under the hood, an unencrypted .BBB file is simply a ZIP archive. To recover your data, your best conversion targets are ZIP for extraction, and then converting the internal contact files to VCF (vCard) or CSV formats. You can rename the extension to ZIP to manually browse the contents, but reading the internal SQLite files remains a challenge.
This file format is difficult to open or convert because it was never designed for cross-platform data sharing. Often only the original BlackBerry software can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects the supported underlying ZIP format, viewing or extracting the files may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BBB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted IPD, MEMO, GLB, DAT, KMZ, BAR and JDP files.
If you want to convert BBB file to BAK, BACKUP, OLD, TMP, TEMP, ARC, ZIP, TAR, GZ, 7Z, RAR or ISO, you can use BlackBerry Desktop Software or similar software from the "Mobile Device Backup Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SNAPSHOT, OLD, IMG, RESTORE, ISO, COPY, VMDK, TMP, VHD, BAK, ARCHIVE or BACKUP files to BBB, try BlackBerry Desktop Software or another comparable tool in the "Mobile Device Backup 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 BBB converter.