Extract text from backup files (HBK)
To convert HBK backups to another format, you need HTC Sync Manager or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Device Data Backup File" file type, you need software like HTC Sync Manager or a similar tool.
The .hbk file extension is most commonly associated with HTC SMS Message Backup files created by HTC Sync Manager, or as repository archives created by Synology Hyper Backup. In rare cases, it may also function as a Mathcad Handbook help file or a Qualcomm Hexagon DSP binary.
The major disadvantage of an .hbk file is its strictly closed and proprietary nature. HTC text backups are heavily locked to the HTC mobile ecosystem; they cannot be directly read on modern Android, iOS devices, or PC text editors. Synology .hbk files are complex, often containing Zlib-compressed data chunks or hidden SQLite databases, making them inaccessible without the original NAS hardware or a specialized desktop client. They are frustratingly limited if you simply want to extract an old text message conversation or retrieve a single document without reinstalling legacy software.
Users typically want to convert HTC SMS backups to accessible formats like CSV, TXT, or XML to read conversations on a computer or import them into a new phone. For Synology backups, the goal is usually extraction rather than direct conversion, pulling out standard documents like JPG, PDF, or DOCX from the archive.
These files are notoriously difficult to open or convert online because they are highly specific archives. Often, only the original manufacturer software can properly parse the internal data. Our deep-analysis tools inspect the file to reveal plain text or identify underlying structures (like standard SQLITE databases), giving you a realistic workaround to extract your data when standard online converters fail.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HBK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted HDK, CFG, TXT, BIN, MSO, BAK, MCD, MCDX and XMCD files.
If you want to convert HBK file to TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX, MD, MARKDOWN, LOG or NFO, you can use HTC Sync Manager or similar software from the "Proprietary Backup Archive" 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 HBK, try HTC Sync Manager or another comparable tool in the "Proprietary Backup Archive" 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 HBK converter.