Extract text from CAD backup files (BKG)
To convert BKG backups to another format, you need MicroStation or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "CAD Design Backup" file type, you need software like MicroStation or a similar tool.
A .BKG file is a highly fragmented extension most commonly serving as a CAD design backup generated by Bentley MicroStation or as a proprietary background image for games and specialized applications. The CAD variants are built on the Microsoft Compound file structure, acting as failsafes for engineering projects. Other versions include Unity game asset bundles (using the UnityFS structure), LEADTOOLS background images, and even highly specialized data formats like Plurifon bird call sound files or Gasmet analyzer spectrums.
These files present significant usability challenges. They are heavily restricted and proprietary. A .BKG CAD backup is effectively useless if you do not own a costly MicroStation license. Similarly, game backgrounds and Unity assets utilize custom compression and proprietary headers, meaning standard image viewers or media players cannot open them. They lack native support in modern web browsers and mobile operating systems, locking your data behind specific, often legacy, software.
To make this data usable, conversion is mandatory. CAD users typically need to extract or convert the data to a standard DGN, DWG, or DXF file. Background images must be converted to PNG or JPG for universal accessibility, while embedded audio files require extraction to MP3 or WAV formats. Conversion often strips proprietary metadata but restores basic access to the core visual or audio content.
This file format is difficult to open or convert because it is a closed, proprietary format heavily tied to its native application. Standard online converters usually fail because they blindly guess the file type based on the extension, failing to handle the varied internal structures. Our system inspects the internal hexadecimal signature - whether it is a Microsoft Compound CAD file, a UnityFS bundle, or raw LEADTOOLS image data - to view the contents and facilitate conversion wherever possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BKG file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MCW, PX and MLM files.
If you want to convert BKG file to JPG, PDF, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP, ICO, CUR, PSD or PSB, you can use MicroStation or similar software from the "CAD Backup & Background Image" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RAW, PNG, AI, NEF, PSB, DNG, SVG, GIF, EPS, JPG, ARW or PDF files to BKG, try MicroStation or another comparable tool in the "CAD Backup & Background Image" 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 BKG converter.