Extract text from GIF world files (GFW)
To convert GFW world files to another format, you need Global Mapper or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "GIS Workspace File" file type, you need software like Global Mapper or a similar tool.
A .GFW file typically functions as a Global Mapper Workspace file or a Geosoft/GeoMedia Project file used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These workspace files use a proprietary Microsoft Compound file structure to save the state of a GIS project, including layer configurations, symbology, zoom levels, and saved views.
The major disadvantage of a .GFW workspace is that it does not actually contain the raw spatial data. Instead, it relies on absolute or relative file paths linking to external datasets like SHP (Shapefiles) or TIFF imagery. If you share a .GFW file without its accompanying external data assets, the recipient will encounter broken links and missing data errors. Additionally, because it is a closed format, it requires a commercial license for Global Mapper or Hexagon GeoMedia to open correctly. Standard web browsers and basic document viewers cannot render them.
Alternatively, a .GFW file can be a GIF World File. This is a simple, plain-text sidecar file used to georeference a GIF image. It contains exactly six lines of mathematical parameters (scaling, rotation, and translation) that tell GIS software exactly where to place the image on a digital map.
Because .GFW workspace files are complex and dependent on external data, standard online converters usually fail to process them into visual formats like PDF or JPG. To generate a map layout, you must export directly from the native software. However, you can use convert.guru as your pragmatic workaround. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Our deep-scan tools can inspect the underlying Microsoft Compound structure to extract metadata or display the plain text parameters of a GIF World File.
Convert.Guru analyzes your GFW file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SBN, TFW and BIL files.
If you want to convert GFW file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use Global Mapper or similar software from the "GIS Workspace & Georeferencing" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to GFW, try Global Mapper or another comparable tool in the "GIS Workspace & Georeferencing" 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 GFW converter.