Extract text from VA Blue Button files (BLUEBUTTON)
To convert BLUEBUTTON data files to another format, you need VA My HealtheVet or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Health Care Data File" file type, you need software like VA My HealtheVet or a similar tool.
A .bluebutton file is a structured health data file downloaded from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or other healthcare portals participating in the Blue Button initiative. Patients use these files to download their medical history, lab results, and medication lists directly to their computers. Personal Health Record (PHR) systems and modern health apps can sometimes import this data automatically.
The primary disadvantage of the .bluebutton format is its poor readability. It is usually just a plain text (TXT) or XML file wrapped in an unfamiliar extension. Without dedicated medical software, users face a confusing, unformatted wall of raw text and medical codes. Standard text editors open the file, but the layout is often difficult to understand.
Users frequently need to convert this file into a PDF to create a clean, printable document for a new doctor, or a CSV to track and sort lab results in a spreadsheet.
Because .bluebutton is an uncommon extension outside of specific healthcare portals, standard online converters often reject it. Our system inspects the file to detect the underlying text or XML structure, allowing you to view and extract your health data without specialized medical software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BLUEBUTTON file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert BLUEBUTTON file to , you can use VA My HealtheVet or similar software from the "Personal Health Record Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to BLUEBUTTON, try VA My HealtheVet or another comparable tool in the "Personal Health Record 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 BLUEBUTTON converter.