Extract text from HDL files
To convert your HDL file to another format, you need Nand2Tetris Hardware Simulator or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Hardware Description Script" file type, you need software like Nand2Tetris Hardware Simulator or a similar tool.
HDL files are predominantly Hardware Description Language scripts associated with the famous Nand2Tetris (The Elements of Computing Systems) course. These text-based files describe the structure of digital chips - ranging from simple logic gates like NAND and XOR to complex CPUs - using a specialized, simplified syntax designed for educational simulation. Unlike industry-standard formats like Verilog or VHDL, Nand2Tetris HDL files are strictly meant for the course's Java-based Hardware Simulator.
A significant minority of .HDL files are LiDAR sensor calibration files generated by Velodyne Lidar. These are often formatted internally as JSON or XML and store critical correction data for 3D sensing hardware. A legacy use case also exists within HotDocs document automation software as library files.
A common problem for users is that while these are plain text files, double-clicking them often fails because operating systems do not associate the extension with a text editor by default. Furthermore, submitting these files for academic grading often requires a stable, read-only format. For archiving or sharing code without risking accidental edits, converting .HDL to PDF is the ideal workflow. If you simply need to view or edit the logic without the heavy simulator software, converting or renaming to TXT is the quickest solution. For Velodyne users, converting the calibration data to standard JSON ensures compatibility with modern data parsers.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HDL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted HTML, PDF, F90, CLJ and ERL files.
If you want to convert HDL file to JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO, RS or SWIFT, you can use Nand2Tetris Hardware Simulator or similar software from the "Hardware Logic Simulation" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to HDL, try Nand2Tetris Hardware Simulator or another comparable tool in the "Hardware Logic Simulation" 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 HDL converter.