Extract text from Element collections (COLLECTION)
To convert COLLECTION Collections to another format, you need GoodNotes or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Asset Collection Data" file type, you need software like GoodNotes or a similar tool.
A .collection file groups multiple related assets or metadata entries. It primarily functions as a ZIP-based element collection in the GoodNotes note-taking app, allowing users to save and share stickers, images, and text snippets. Alternatively, it acts as a JSON manifest generated by Microsoft Lens or OneDrive to manage batches of scanned documents, or as a macOS Font Book property list (plist).
The main disadvantage of .collection files is severe platform lock-in. A GoodNotes .collection file cannot be opened directly in standard image viewers or alternative note-taking apps on Windows or Android. A Microsoft Lens .collection file is essentially useless without the accompanying image scans, as it only holds text-based metadata. They are proprietary or highly specific, making them frustrating to share with users outside these native ecosystems.
To make these assets usable, you need to extract or convert them. For GoodNotes files, extracting the underlying ZIP structure reveals the raw PNG or PDF assets. For Microsoft Lens files, you only need a basic text viewer or a conversion to standard TXT to read the JSON document structure.
Standard online converters fail because this extension is heavily overloaded and lacks a single universal standard. Because .collection files have multiple completely different internal structures, automated tools cannot blindly process them. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your COLLECTION file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted OMF, BBX and BS files.
If you want to convert COLLECTION file to , you can use GoodNotes or similar software from the "Asset and Metadata Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to COLLECTION, try GoodNotes or another comparable tool in the "Asset and Metadata 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 COLLECTION converter.