Extract text from Firmware update files (FWF)
To convert FWF Firmware files to another format, you need Siemens ProSave or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Hardware Firmware Image" file type, you need software like Siemens ProSave or a similar tool.
A .fwf file is almost exclusively a Firmware Update File used to patch or upgrade hardware devices. The most common variety (approx. 31%) belongs to Siemens for their SIMATIC HMI panels, specifically handled by tools like ProSave. Other variants include firmware for Qualcomm Atheros Wi-Fi chipsets, MikroTik routers running RouterOS, and various satellite receivers.
The Problem: These are compiled binary blobs, not human-readable documents. Users often attempt to open them in text editors like Notepad++, resulting in unintelligible garbage data. Because they contain low-level machine code, they are proprietary and device-specific. Modifying a single byte or attempting to convert them to a standard format like DOCX will corrupt the file, potentially "bricking" your hardware if you attempt to flash the damaged file.
The Solution: For their intended purpose (updating hardware), you should not convert them; you must load them using the manufacturer's utility (e.g., Siemens ProSave or a router's web interface). However, for analysis, reverse engineering, or archiving purposes, advanced users can convert .fwf files to BIN (Raw Binary), HEX (Hexadecimal), or TXT (Hex Dump) to inspect the headers and code structure.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FWF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZAP13, ZAP15 and ZAP14 files.
If you want to convert FWF file to TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX, MD, MARKDOWN, LOG or NFO, you can use Siemens ProSave or similar software from the "Firmware Update Package" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to FWF, try Siemens ProSave or another comparable tool in the "Firmware Update Package" 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 FWF converter.