Extract text from Form templates (FDM)
To convert FDM Forms to another format, you need Microsoft Outlook or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Proprietary Form Data" file type, you need software like Microsoft Outlook or a similar tool.
The .FDM file extension is a fragmented format with three primary, entirely unrelated uses in the wild. It most commonly appears as a proprietary form definition file for Microsoft Outlook or FormDocs. Alternatively, it acts as a partial, incomplete download file generated by Free Download Manager. In enterprise environments, it may also appear as a fields index metadata file for Apache Lucene.
These formats share one common trait: they are incredibly frustrating to work with. FormDocs and Outlook .FDM files are highly proprietary. Outlook relies on the outdated Microsoft Compound file structure, locking your form layout behind a paid software ecosystem. FormDocs files require specific Windows-only software to open, making them difficult to share. Meanwhile, Free Download Manager .FDM files are literally broken pieces of data - usually fragmented MP4 streams - that are completely useless until the download finishes.
Because these files are closed, proprietary, or incomplete, standard online converters consistently fail to process them. You cannot magically turn a half-downloaded video into a complete file. For completed forms, the best conversion target is a universal PDF to ensure the document can be opened anywhere without expensive software.
While direct conversion is difficult, convert.guru offers a pragmatic workaround. Drag and drop your .FDM file to see what it is and convert it if supported. Our analyzer will inspect the file, extract raw text, and determine if it hides an embedded Microsoft format, a fragmented media stream, or plain database text, giving you immediate insight into what your file actually contains.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FDM file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted FDMDOWNLOAD, ZIP, PDF, FDE, UFF, LFS and FMC files.
If you want to convert FDM file to FMC, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT or DB, you can use Microsoft Outlook or similar software from the "Form Data & Partial Downloads" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to FDM, try Microsoft Outlook or another comparable tool in the "Form Data & Partial Downloads" 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 FDM converter.