Extract text from Readme documents (FIRST)
To convert FIRST Readme files to another format, you need Microsoft Notepad or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Documentation" file type, you need software like Microsoft Notepad or a similar tool.
A .first file is a legacy Read Me text document, historically used by software developers to ensure users read installation instructions before proceeding. The extension is a shortening of the phrase "Read Me First" (often named README.FIRST or INSTALL.FIRST). While these files are standard Plain Text containers, modern operating systems like Windows 11 and macOS treat them as unknown binary objects, displaying a blank icon and refusing to open them with a double-click. This creates friction for users trying to access critical setup keys, patch notes, or dependency requirements found in older software archives, driver packages, or documentation from organizations like FIRST.
Because .first files often lack standard encoding headers, opening them in aggressive word processors like Microsoft Word can result in garbled formatting or "alien text" due to mismatched character sets (e.g., MS-DOS CP437 vs. UTF-8). For preservation and accessibility, it is highly recommended to convert these files to TXT for raw editing, PDF for archival viewing, or DOCX if you need to reformat the documentation for modern manuals.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FIRST file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DEAD, DICTIONARY and SHAPES files.
If you want to convert FIRST file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use Microsoft Notepad or similar software from the "Software Documentation" 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 FIRST, try Microsoft Notepad or another comparable tool in the "Software Documentation" 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 FIRST converter.