Extract text from ECO files
To convert your ECO file to another format, you need Eco or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "World Save & Configuration" file type, you need software like Eco or a similar tool.
The .eco file extension is a chameleon, serving three distinct, incompatible purposes that often confuse users. Most commonly, it is a Game World Save or configuration file used by the survival simulation game Eco developed by Strange Loop Games. In this context, the file typically functions as a container - often a renamed ZIP archive or JSON text file - storing terrain data, player stats, and server settings. The primary friction here is that while the data is technically accessible, the custom extension prevents standard tools like WinRAR or text editors from automatically recognizing it.
Secondary to gaming, .eco files are critical in electrical engineering as Engineering Change Order files generated by PADS Professional (formerly by Mentor Graphics, now Siemens). These files document modifications to PCB designs and are essential for tracking version history in CAD workflows. A third, legacy group of users encounters this format as a database file from Ecco Pro, a discontinued Personal Information Manager (PIM) from the 1990s. Users stuck with these files often face a "digital lock-in" scenario where valuable contact data or engineering schemas are trapped in a format that modern operating systems cannot preview.
For Eco gamers looking to edit server configs, the best workflow is often identifying if the file is a compressed archive (converting to ZIP to extract) or plain text (converting to JSON or TXT for editing). For PADS users, the goal is typically archiving or sharing; converting these reports to PDF/A ensures the engineering data remains readable without requiring a $5,000+ software license. For legacy Ecco Pro databases, the only viable path is extraction to CSV or XLSX to migrate contacts to modern software like Outlook or Excel.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ECO file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted EKO, EC0, PNG, MP3, PDF, DOCX, BIN, TFA, EVE and SSP files.
If you want to convert ECO file to DB, SQLITE, SQLITE3, MDB, ACCDB, DBF, ODB, FDB, GDB, MYD, FRM or SQL, you can use Eco or similar software from the "Game World Save File" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert NDF, SQLITE3, BAK, RDB, SQL, DB4, MDF, MDB, LDF, DB, DB3 or SQLITE files to ECO, try Eco or another comparable tool in the "Game World Save File" 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 ECO converter.