Extract text from Boardmaker boards (BM2)
To convert BM2 boards to another format, you need Boardmaker or other Page Layout software.
To convert other file formats to the "Interactive Board Layout" file type, you need software like Boardmaker or a similar tool.
.BM2 files are proprietary communication boards or interactive layouts created with Mayer-Johnson Boardmaker software. They contain grids, Picture Communication Symbols (PCS), text, and interactive elements used heavily in special education and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
Users often need to convert these files because the .BM2 format is highly restrictive. It is a closed, proprietary format that requires an expensive software subscription or a legacy software license to open. Furthermore, .BM2 files are not supported by web browsers, making them difficult to share directly with parents, therapists, or teachers who do not own the software.
The ideal conversion targets are PDF for universal printing or JPG and PNG for quick digital viewing. Converting to these standard formats ensures accessibility across all devices, though any interactive macros or sound triggers embedded in the original board will be permanently lost in the static formats.
This file format is notoriously difficult to process outside of its native environment. Standard online converters almost always fail because they do not possess the copyrighted, proprietary symbol libraries required to actually render the graphics on the board. Often, only the original Boardmaker software can properly read or export the data. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show raw text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BM2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BMP, TST, BPF, PDF, SSBOARD and BM3 files.
If you want to convert BM2 file to PDF, JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP, ICO, CUR, PSD or PSB, you can use Boardmaker or similar software from the "Communication Board Layout Storage" 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 BM2, try Boardmaker or another comparable tool in the "Communication Board Layout 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 BM2 converter.