Extract text from COM files
To convert your COM file to another format, you need Microsoft Windows or other Executable software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy System File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Windows or a similar tool.
A .COM file is technically a DOS Command File, one of the oldest executable formats used by Microsoft MS-DOS. Unlike modern software, these files contain raw machine code limited to a tiny 64KB memory segment and lack the complex headers found in standard EXE files. While originally used for system utilities and simple games, they face significant hurdles today: modern 64-bit operating systems like Windows 11 cannot run them natively without emulators like DOSBox. Furthermore, the extension is often abused; our data suggests nearly 23% of .COM files are actually renamed PDF documents, and others are JPG images or disguised malware attempting to trick users.
To safely handle these files, you generally need to determine their true nature. If you are analyzing legacy software, converting the binary data to TXT (Hex Dump) or ASM (Assembly) allows you to inspect the code. If the file is a mislabeled document or web page, detecting the correct header allows you to convert and restore it to a usable PDF, HTML, or ZIP format without risking execution.
Convert.Guru analyzes your COM file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted APPLICATION, BIN, HAR, EXE, DOS, CDM, META, WOFF2, MSD, APK, POS, TXT and PNG 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 COM converter.