Extract text from DESIGN files
To convert your DESIGN file to another format, you need Microsoft Expression Design or other Vector Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Illustration File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Expression Design or a similar tool.
A .design file is primarily a vector graphic project created by Microsoft Expression Design, a now-discontinued illustration tool that was part of the Microsoft Expression Studio suite. These files contain editable vector paths, text layers, and raster effects intended for XAML-based user interfaces and web graphics. Because Microsoft stopped developing Expression Design in 2012, opening these files on modern Windows 10 or 11 systems is a significant challenge; the software is no longer sold or easily installable, leaving users with inaccessible proprietary data.
Users typically need to convert .design files to migrate legacy artwork into modern workflows like Adobe Illustrator or to simply view the content without installing outdated software. For archiving and sharing, PDF is the best target. For continuing design work, converting to SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) preserves vector paths, while PNG is ideal for quick raster previews. In rare industrial cases, a .design file may be a label layout for Dibal weighing scales, which requires proprietary manufacturer software to open.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DESIGN file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JPG, JPEG, AI, LBL, PNG, PDF, JET, NSF, DBX, CODE, 3D and HTML files.
If you want to convert DESIGN file to CODE, 3D, HTML, SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, JPG, CDR, WMF, EMF or SWF, you can use Microsoft Expression Design or similar software from the "Vector Graphics Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert AFPUB, EPS, FIG, VSD, SKETCH, VDX, AFPHOTO, PDF, AFDESIGN, SVG, VSDX or AI files to DESIGN, try Microsoft Expression Design or another comparable tool in the "Vector Graphics 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 DESIGN converter.