Extract text from Installer distribution files (DIST)
To convert DIST Distribution files to another format, you need Apple Installer or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Installer Script / Package" file type, you need software like Apple Installer or a similar tool.
.DIST files serve multiple distinct purposes in software development, most commonly acting as macOS installer distribution scripts created by Apple, or as compressed distribution packages for the Tridium Niagara Framework. They are also widely used across web development environments as template configuration files (e.g., behat.yml.dist).
For macOS, these are XML documents that dictate the installation logic, user interface, and package requirements for PKG files. In the Niagara Framework, they are standard ZIP archives containing compiled Java modules and system configurations. As configuration templates, they are simple text files.
The primary disadvantage of a .DIST file is its ambiguity. Because the extension is used by entirely different systems, your operating system rarely knows which application to open it with. If it is an Apple XML script, it lacks readability for non-developers and cannot be executed outside the macOS ecosystem. If it is a Niagara package, it requires specialized enterprise software to deploy.
To solve these compatibility issues, convert your file. For macOS scripts, convert .DIST to XML or TXT to easily view and edit the code in any standard text editor. For Niagara distribution files, convert .DIST to ZIP to extract the internal modules on Windows or Linux. Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DIST file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZIP, PKG, CRDOWNLOAD, MPKG, IPG and AAE files.
If you want to convert DIST file to ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, CAB, ACE, ARJ or LHA, you can use Apple Installer or similar software from the "Distribution Script or Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert XXE, 7Z, Z, PAK, LHA, DEB, UUE, TAR, LZH, ZIP, PKG or RAR files to DIST, try Apple Installer or another comparable tool in the "Distribution Script or Archive" 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 DIST converter.