Extract text from FCI files
To convert your FCI file to another format, you need Microsoft Windows or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Configuration Database" file type, you need software like Microsoft Windows or a similar tool.
The .fci file extension represents two distinct, specialized formats that often confuse users due to their lack of native operating system support. The most common variant (approx. 70%) is the File Compression Interface Catalog, a system file generated by Microsoft Windows. These files act as blueprints for the makecab.exe utility, detailing how files should be compressed into CAB archives. They are typically plain text directive files or temporary binary artifacts found in system folders. Users rarely need to interact with these directly, and attempting to "convert" them usually results in a raw text file containing file paths and compression instructions.
The second, more critical variant (approx. 14%) is a configuration or history database used by Gamewell-FCI (Fire Control Instruments), a division of Honeywell. These files store essential data for fire alarm panels like the E3 Series or 7100 Series. The practical friction here is significant: the software required to view them (like the CamWorks or FCI Field Configuration Program) is strictly proprietary and licensed to certified technicians. However, a known workaround exists because many of these legacy configuration files are built on the Microsoft Jet Database Engine (JetDB). This means users can often change the extension from .fci to mdb, allowing them to open the file in Microsoft Access to view tables, export sensor logs to XLSX, or generate PDF safety reports. Without this trick, the data remains locked inside a "black box" format incompatible with standard viewers.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FCI file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PSD, JPG, GED, PWB and LSF files.
If you want to convert FCI file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use Microsoft Windows or similar software from the "File Compression Catalog" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to FCI, try Microsoft Windows or another comparable tool in the "File Compression Catalog" 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 FCI converter.