Extract text from Barna documents (BNA)
To convert BNA documents to another format, you need Barna Word Processor or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Word Processor Document" file type, you need software like Barna Word Processor or a similar tool.
The .BNA file format is a proprietary document format created by the Barna Word Processor, an obscure and largely obsolete text editing application developed by Safe Works. It was primarily used to store typed documents, page formatting, and basic text styling elements.
Currently, there is no modern mainstream software that actively supports or opens .BNA files natively. Originally, these files could only be created, viewed, and modified using the proprietary Barna Word Processor software environment on older operating systems.
Users typically need to convert this file because the format is a dead-end on modern operating systems. Sharing a .BNA file with colleagues or trying to open it on a current Windows, macOS, or Linux machine will result in an unrecognized file error. The proprietary nature of the format means it lacks support in modern web browsers and major office suites like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, forcing users to find workarounds to access their legacy data.
The most practical targets for conversion are TXT, DOCX, or PDF. Converting to TXT will salvage the raw text but strip away all margins, fonts, and layouts. Converting to DOCX or PDF is ideal for sharing, though complex structural elements from the original Barna file may not translate perfectly.
Because the .BNA file is a closed, proprietary format with undocumented encoding, it is notoriously difficult to process. Standard online converters often fail because they lack the specific parsing logic for Barna documents. Frequently, only the original software can properly read or export the structured data. Our system inspects the file's raw binary and text streams, and if our analysis detects recoverable text content, viewing or extracting the data may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BNA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert BNA file to TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX, MD, MARKDOWN, LOG or NFO, you can use Barna Word Processor or similar software from the "Word Processing Document" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to BNA, try Barna Word Processor or another comparable tool in the "Word Processing Document" 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 BNA converter.