Extract text from Compiled asset catalogs (CAR)
To convert CAR Asset catalogs to another format, you need Apple Xcode or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Compiled Asset Archive" file type, you need software like Apple Xcode or a similar tool.
The .car file format is most commonly used as a Compiled Asset Catalog within Apple Xcode, storing optimized UI elements and graphics for iOS and macOS applications. It also acts as an application archive for enterprise platforms like 1C:Enterprise or WSO2, a Content Addressable Archive for IPFS, and as specialized game data for titles like BeamNG.drive.
The primary disadvantage of the .car format is its heavily proprietary and fragmented nature. Apple asset catalogs are compiled exclusively for runtime efficiency; graphic designers cannot natively open or edit them without reverse-engineering the binary. Enterprise archives and game files are similarly locked to their respective software environments and cannot be opened by default on Windows or macOS. Users generally need to convert these files to extract the embedded assets, targeting formats like ZIP, PNG, or JSON.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because standard online converters completely fail to process it. They lack the dedicated decoders required to interpret Apple's compiled binaries or custom game engines, meaning often only the original software can properly read or export the data. We will inspect the binary signature and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying format - such as an embedded ZIP structure - extracting the content or converting it may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CAR file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZIP, NIB, XCODE, CAPIBARTER-3, CSAR, CSAR0, CARD, RIDDLE, PNG, JPG, RAR, DYLIB and CTS files.
If you want to convert CAR file to EV, CNG, LPG, ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA or CAB, you can use Apple Xcode or similar software from the "Application Resource Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert XXE, 7Z, Z, PAK, LHA, DEB, UUE, TAR, LZH, ZIP, PKG or RAR files to CAR, try Apple Xcode or another comparable tool in the "Application Resource Archive" 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 CAR converter.