Extract text from Lync video files (CREC)
To convert CREC videos to another format, you need Microsoft Lync or other Video software.
To convert other file formats to the "Proprietary Meeting Recording" file type, you need software like Microsoft Lync or a similar tool.
A .CREC file is a proprietary, often temporary video recording format generated by Microsoft Lync (now retired). It functions as an intermediate data container used while an online meeting, presentation, or video call is actively being recorded on a user's local machine.
Officially, these files are managed and processed by the Lync Recording Manager, which is required to piece together the raw audio, video, and screen-sharing data into a final, playable video file.
This format is highly restrictive and frustrating for end-users. Because .CREC is a proprietary intermediate file, it is not supported by standard media players like VLC, web browsers, or smartphones. Furthermore, Microsoft Lync is an obsolete product that has been entirely replaced by Microsoft Teams. This means legacy .CREC files are essentially useless outside the defunct Microsoft unified communications ecosystem and are increasingly difficult to open without installing outdated software.
Users desperately need to convert .CREC to universal formats like MP4 or WMV to share the meeting recording, edit the video, or simply play it back on modern operating systems.
Unfortunately, converting a .CREC file is notoriously difficult. Standard online video converters almost always fail to process it because it lacks standard video headers and uses proprietary Microsoft encoding. Often, only the original Lync software can properly read, finalize, or export the data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CREC file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert CREC file to , you can use Microsoft Lync or similar software from the "Temporary Video Recording" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to CREC, try Microsoft Lync or another comparable tool in the "Temporary Video Recording" 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 CREC converter.