Extract text from Module definition files (DEF)
To convert DEF Definition files to another format, you need Microsoft Visual Studio or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Module-Definition File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Visual Studio or a similar tool.
The .DEF file extension generally stands for Definition File. It is notorious for being heavily fragmented, but it is primarily used in two completely different technical realms: software development and indie game creation. In enterprise development, a .DEF is a Module-Definition file used by the Microsoft Visual C++ linker to define attributes, memory allocations, and exported APIs for a Dynamic Link Library (DLL). In the gaming world, it is the master configuration file for characters, stages, and engines in the M.U.G.E.N 2D fighting game engine. Other systems, like Abila MIP Fund Accounting or CAD software like Cadence Innovus, also rely on .DEF for data import mappings and Design Exchange Formats.
Because .DEF is usually a generic plain text container, its formatting and syntax depend entirely on the program that created it. Opening a M.U.G.E.N .DEF in Visual Studio will simply display irrelevant game code, while loading a C++ export definition into Fighter Factory will trigger parsing errors. They lack universal standardization and are useless without their parent applications or linked assets. Furthermore, some variations (like IObit Malware Fighter definitions or WWE PAC pointers) are compiled binary files that cannot be read normally.
To safely inspect or share the code inside a text-based .DEF, convert it to a standard format like TXT or MD. If the file contains structured tabular data, such as a fund accounting import definition, converting to CSV, JSON, or XML allows you to manipulate it safely in spreadsheet software or web tools. For archiving developer documentation, convert to PDF.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DEF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SFF, CS2AGBIBR6, NEF, ACT, AI, TXT, DWF, DXF, WEBP, NFO, DIZ and LIB files.
If you want to convert DEF file to LIB, JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO or RS, you can use Microsoft Visual Studio or similar software from the "Configuration and Export Definition" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to DEF, try Microsoft Visual Studio or another comparable tool in the "Configuration and Export Definition" 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 DEF converter.