Extract text from data format files (FMT)
To convert FMT formats to another format, you need Seagull Scientific BarTender or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Format Definition File" file type, you need software like Seagull Scientific BarTender or a similar tool.
The .FMT file extension is a generic container used by dozens of entirely unrelated software programs to store layout, printing, or structural data definitions. The two most dominant modern uses are label design templates for commercial label printers (managed by software like Seagull Scientific BarTender or NiceLabel) and data format layout files for Microsoft SQL Server bulk copy (bcp) operations. Historically, it was also used by Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE IV, and FoxPro for screen and print layouts. Other niche applications include Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) form definitions from Sekonic and matrix data for Aptech GAUSS.
The primary disadvantage of the .FMT file is extreme format fragmentation. Because the extension is overloaded, operating systems cannot reliably determine which application should open the file. Double-clicking a .FMT file usually results in an error or opens the wrong program entirely. Furthermore, label design .FMT files are often proprietary binaries. They require expensive commercial licenses just to open, rendering them useless for web distribution or client previews.
To bypass these limitations, you must convert the file. For label designs, convert the .FMT to a standard PDF or PNG to share the visual layout with clients or print shops without requiring a BarTender license. For database mapping files (which are often plain text or XML under the hood), convert them to standard XML or TXT to edit them in standard code editors without OS-level conflicts.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FMT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BLDM, WK1, LABEL, FTM, RIFF, FMB, EPL, TXT, BLD, LBL, PDF, ZIP and WAV files.
If you want to convert FMT file to INI, CFG, CONF, CONFIG, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, ENV, PROPERTIES or RC, you can use Seagull Scientific BarTender or similar software from the "Layout and Data Definition" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert ZSHRC, CONF, RCFILE, GITCONFIG, RC, PLIST, BASHRC, CONFIG, PROFILE, INI, PREFS or CFG files to FMT, try Seagull Scientific BarTender or another comparable tool in the "Layout and Data Definition" 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 FMT converter.