Extract text from mind map files (BRAIN)
To convert BRAIN mind maps to another format, you need TheBrain or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Personal Knowledge Base File" file type, you need software like TheBrain or a similar tool.
A .brain file is a proprietary digital mind map or personal knowledge base generated by TheBrain (formerly PersonalBrain). It acts as a dynamic, visual map of interconnected ideas, notes, and attachments. In a minority of cases, developers use the .brain extension for artificial neural network files associated with the Yaxlib library.
The major disadvantage of the .brain format is severe vendor lock-in. Because it is a closed, proprietary file type, standard online converters fail to process its complex visual graphs. You typically need an active subscription or a licensed installation of the official desktop application to render the "Plex" (the visual interface) correctly. Sharing these files directly with non-users is impossible, making collaboration outside of their ecosystem highly restrictive.
When looking to migrate away from this software, the best conversion targets are standard XML or SQL for database retention, and PDF or JPG for visual sharing. Note that converting to a standard database format will preserve the text nodes and links, but you will lose the proprietary visual layout.
Because the visual relationships rely on proprietary rendering logic, this file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the visual data. However, the core data inside a .brain file is usually formatted as standard XML or a SQLite database. If our analysis detects a supported underlying format, viewing or data extraction may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BRAIN file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert BRAIN file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use TheBrain or similar software from the "Digital Mind Map Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to BRAIN, try TheBrain or another comparable tool in the "Digital Mind Map 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 BRAIN converter.