Extract text from CHAT files
To convert your CHAT file to another format, you need Apple iChat or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Chat Log File" file type, you need software like Apple iChat or a similar tool.
The .CHAT file extension typically represents two distinct types of conversation records: legacy binary logs from Apple iChat (the predecessor to Messages) or meeting transcripts from Zoom.
For Apple users, .CHAT files present a significant accessibility challenge. Unlike standard text files, iChat logs were often saved as binary property lists (plists). This proprietary structure means they cannot be read by standard text editors (like Notepad or TextEdit) without displaying garbled code, and modern macOS versions often lack the native tools to open them properly. This "digital rot" makes accessing old personal memories or business records difficult without conversion.
Conversely, .CHAT files from Zoom or Cisco Webex are often plain text or JSON data renamed with a specific extension. While these are technically readable, they lack formatting and are difficult to organize or print professionally.
To ensure long-term access, the best practice is converting these files to PDF for archiving (preserving the layout and readability on any device) or TXT/RTF to strip away the binary container for raw data access.
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.
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.