Extract text from Backup files (BKU)
To convert BKU Backups to another format, you need Sage Timeslips or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Application Backup File" file type, you need software like Sage Timeslips or a similar tool.
The .BKU file is primarily a software data backup archive used by Sage Timeslips to store critical time tracking, billing, and accounting database records. Secondary uses for the .BKU extension include system configuration backups for GE Healthcare Voluson ultrasound machines and data exports from Agilent BioTek Gen5 laboratory software.
The main disadvantage of a .BKU file is that it is a strictly proprietary container. You cannot double-click it to view your accounting data natively in standard web browsers, text editors, or spreadsheet software. Relying on a .BKU file means you are locked into the specific software ecosystem - and often the exact version - that originally created it. If a business stops paying for a Sage subscription, accessing historical billing records stored in a .BKU file becomes exceptionally difficult.
Users typically need to convert this file when migrating to different accounting platforms or responding to financial audits. Because the Sage Timeslips .BKU format is structurally a standard ZIP archive, the optimal workaround is renaming the extension to ZIP. This allows you to extract the internal database files, which can then be converted to CSV, XML, or TXT for broad compatibility.
This file format is difficult to open or convert directly because the internal database schema is undocumented. Often, only the original software can seamlessly restore the complete dataset. However, drag and drop your .BKU file onto convert.guru to identify the format and inspect its structure. If our analysis detects the supported underlying ZIP framework, we can help you view the internal contents and extract the embedded data without needing the original proprietary software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BKU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SRR, RTB and IPD files.
If you want to convert BKU file to , you can use Sage Timeslips or similar software from the "Software Data Backup Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to BKU, try Sage Timeslips or another comparable tool in the "Software Data Backup Archive" 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 BKU converter.