Extract text from Keystore files (BKS)
To convert BKS Keystores to another format, you need Bouncy Castle or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Cryptographic Keystore File" file type, you need software like Bouncy Castle or a similar tool.
.BKS files primarily function as keystore files for the Bouncy Castle cryptography library. They securely store cryptographic keys, certificates, and private keys for Java applications. Secondary uses include financial statement backups for Wolters Kluwer Bokslut software, legacy settings for Windows NTBackup, and archaic spreadsheet backups for Microsoft Works.
To interact with a Bouncy Castle keystore, developers typically use Java-based tools like KeyStore Explorer or the command-line keytool utility, provided the Bouncy Castle security provider is explicitly installed. Bokslut backups require the original Swedish accounting software to restore.
The .BKS keystore format is a heavily encrypted, proprietary binary structure. It is designed specifically to restrict unauthorized access. You cannot open it with standard text editors or web browsers. Without the exact keystore password, the data remains permanently locked. Legacy variants like Microsoft Works backups are equally frustrating, often requiring obsolete, 20-year-old software to read. Bokslut backups are structurally identical to ZIP files but rely on proprietary XML schemas internally.
Users typically need to convert a .BKS keystore to standard JKS (Java KeyStore), P12 (PKCS#12), or PEM formats for broader compatibility with modern web servers and SSL/TLS implementations. Legacy spreadsheet backups must be restored or extracted to XLR or CSV to rescue the raw data.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because it is either heavily encrypted or deeply tied to obsolete software. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. However, standard online converters fail immediately on these closed formats. We can inspect the file headers and show embedded text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format - such as a standard ZIP archive in the case of Bokslut backups - viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BKS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BKF, SCD, PL1 and RPD files.
If you want to convert BKS file to INI, CFG, CONF, CONFIG, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, ENV, PROPERTIES or RC, you can use Bouncy Castle or similar software from the "Cryptographic Keystore Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert ZSHRC, CONF, RCFILE, GITCONFIG, RC, PLIST, BASHRC, CONFIG, PROFILE, INI, PREFS or CFG files to BKS, try Bouncy Castle or another comparable tool in the "Cryptographic Keystore 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 BKS converter.