Extract text from chat logs (CHAT)
To convert CHAT logs to another format, you need Zoom or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Chat Transcript File" file type, you need software like Zoom or a similar tool.
The .chat file extension is most commonly used to store conversation logs and transcripts. Originally popularized by the now-discontinued Apple iChat, this extension is now frequently generated by modern video conferencing tools like Zoom and Cisco Webex. It may also store addon settings for games like World of Warcraft or configuration details for IRC clients.
Opening .chat files can be frustrating due to the lack of a universal standard. Older iChat logs are saved in a proprietary binary format. You cannot easily read them without legacy Apple hardware running outdated OS X versions. In contrast, modern equivalents like Zoom transcripts are usually simple plain text, while Webex uses structured JSON to store chat messages. This inconsistency means you never know exactly what is inside a .chat file until you attempt to parse it. The disadvantage of relying on .chat is high: files are often locked into the ecosystem of the application that created them.
Converting .chat files to standard formats like TXT, CSV, or PDF is highly recommended. These standard formats guarantee long-term readability, easy sharing, and broad compatibility. However, standard online converters routinely fail to process .chat files because they lack a unified structure. A generic converter cannot parse a binary Apple log and a Webex JSON file using the same logic. Our tool can identify the internal format, whether it is plain text, JSON, or older binary data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CHAT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ICHAT, AIM, JSON, DB-SHM, TXT, DB, HTML, PDF, BLT, SAL, RCS and VOICE files.
If you want to convert CHAT file to PDF, RCS, VOICE, HTML, HTM, CSS, JS, PHP, ASP, ASPX, JSP or JSPX, you can use Zoom or similar software from the "Chat Log Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RSS, CSS, CGI, SITEMAP, PL, WEBMANIFEST, JSON, JS, XML, HTML, ICO or HTM files to CHAT, try Zoom or another comparable tool in the "Chat Log 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 CHAT converter.