Extract text from Concept map files (CMAP)
To convert CMAP Concept maps to another format, you need IHMC CmapTools or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Concept Map File" file type, you need software like IHMC CmapTools or a similar tool.
A .cmap file is primarily a Concept Map Data file created by IHMC CmapTools. It stores nodes, connecting lines, and text data representing relationships between various concepts for academic or professional diagramming. Less commonly, it functions as a character map cache for Apple Xcode, a Desktop Window Manager colormap for Microsoft Windows, or a custom level file for the game The Escapists.
The main disadvantage of the .cmap format is its highly specialized nature. It requires a bulky, Java-based software installation to open and view. You cannot open these files natively in a web browser or standard office suites like Microsoft Office. Sharing a raw .cmap file with colleagues usually results in an "unsupported file" error, making collaboration outside the CmapTools ecosystem frustrating.
To share these diagrams effectively, you need to convert the .cmap file to a standard visual format like a PDF document, JPG, or PNG. Converting to an image means the diagram will be flattened, and you will lose the ability to edit individual text nodes and connecting lines.
Because the .cmap file often functions as a proprietary XML structure packaged inside a standard ZIP archive, generic online converters fail to render the graphical layout accurately. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the visual data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CMAP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CXL, ZIP, JPG, PDF, SVG, TXT, PNG, XML, MP4, CHD, PAK, FLP and G3D files.
If you want to convert CMAP file to PDF, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT or DB, you can use IHMC CmapTools or similar software from the "Concept Map Data 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 CMAP, try IHMC CmapTools or another comparable tool in the "Concept Map Data 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 CMAP converter.