Extract text from Genomic data files (BED)
To convert BED Genomic files to another format, you need UCSC Genome Browser or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Genomic Annotation File" file type, you need software like UCSC Genome Browser or a similar tool.
The .bed file extension primarily represents Browser Extensible Data, a text-based format used in bioinformatics to define genomic regions - such as genes, transcripts, or custom annotations. These files are typically loaded into visualization tools like the UCSC Genome Browser or Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV). A distinct secondary use for the .bed extension is as a highly compressed, binary genotype file utilized by the PLINK whole-genome association analysis toolset.
Working with .bed files often presents frustrating limitations. Standard UCSC BED files are highly rigid: they mandate strict tab-separation (a single space will break most parsers) and use a confusing 0-based, half-open coordinate system that routinely causes off-by-one errors for researchers. Furthermore, plain text BED files lack the rich metadata capabilities found in complex feature files. Conversely, PLINK binary .bed files are entirely unreadable to humans and completely useless unless accompanied by their matching bim and fam sibling files.
To share genomic intervals with non-technical stakeholders or analyze them outside of dedicated bioinformatics environments, you must convert standard text BED files to CSV or TSV for spreadsheet compatibility. For deeper annotation workflows, converting to GFF or GTF is standard practice. Drop your file here to analyze and convert it securely right in your browser.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BED file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TXT, CSV, ZLIB, DOCX, ZIP, XLSX, TSV, JPG, PDF, VTX, VCF and TABLE files.
If you want to convert BED file to VCF, TABLE, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF or DAT, you can use UCSC Genome Browser or similar software from the "Genomic Annotation Storage" 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 BED, try UCSC Genome Browser or another comparable tool in the "Genomic Annotation 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 BED converter.