Extract text from Bitmap world files (BPW)
To convert BPW World files to another format, you need ArcGIS or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "World File" file type, you need software like ArcGIS or a similar tool.
A .bpw file is primarily a Bitmap World File used to georeference a standard BMP image. It dictates exactly how a raster image aligns with real-world map coordinates. This format is heavily utilized by GIS professionals working with mapping software like Esri ArcGIS and EPA SWMM. Alternatively, a .bpw file may act as a Bitser Password File, securely storing encrypted user credentials for the Bitser archive utility.
The primary disadvantage of a .bpw world file is its strict dependency on an external image. It is not an image itself; it is a plain text file containing exactly six lines of affine transformation parameters representing pixel scale, rotation, and geographic translation. If the associated BMP file is missing, moved, or renamed, the .bpw file becomes entirely useless to the GIS software. Similarly, the Bitser variant is a closed, proprietary format locked by AES encryption. Standard online converters constantly fail to process these files because the world file lacks standalone graphical data, and the password file is securely locked.
When looking for solutions, users generally need to read the coordinate text as a TXT or CSV, or they want to merge the .bpw text with its corresponding image to export a standalone georeferenced raster file, such as a GeoTIFF (TIF).
Due to the split technical nature of this file extension, automated conversion is tricky. Decrypting a password file requires the original software and the master key. However, just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Our platform can instantly inspect the raw text of a world file to display the exact geographic coordinates, or safely detect the encryption signature of a Bitser file so you know exactly what you are dealing with.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BPW file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BIP, TFW and SBN files.
If you want to convert BPW file to BASE64, HEX, BIN, ENC, CRYPT, AES, DES, RSA, PGP, GPG, ASC or KEY, you can use ArcGIS or similar software from the "Georeferencing Spatial Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert CER, BIN, PEM, DER, KEY, P7S, PFX, ENC, P12, BASE64, P7B or HEX files to BPW, try ArcGIS or another comparable tool in the "Georeferencing Spatial Data" 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 BPW converter.