Extract text from fax and CAD documents (HFX)
To convert HFX documents to another format, you need Smith Micro HotFax or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Fax Document" file type, you need software like Smith Micro HotFax or a similar tool.
The .HFX file extension is heavily fragmented and primarily represents three distinct legacy formats. First, it acts as a multi-page fax document created by Smith Micro HotFax, utilizing an internal TIFF structure. Second, it serves as a CAD drawing file for CADVANCE, built on a RIFF architecture. Third, it stores video transitions and 3D effects for video editing software like Pinnacle Studio (Hollywood FX) and ProShow Gold.
These proprietary formats are severely outdated and highly inconvenient. Opening a HotFax document today is incredibly difficult because the original software is defunct and unsupported on modern operating systems. Similarly, Pinnacle Hollywood FX plugins require legacy versions of specific video editors to render transitions properly. None of these formats are supported by web browsers, mobile devices, or standard document viewers, meaning you cannot easily share or view them without specialized software.
For .HFX fax documents, the most practical conversion targets are PDF or standard TIFF. This preserves the multi-page layout and ensures universal readability. For CAD files, migrating to DWG or DXF is necessary to maintain critical vector data. Video effect files cannot be directly converted to standard video formats like MP4 because they contain mathematical transition parameters, not rendered video streams.
Because the .HFX extension is shared among completely unrelated applications, standard online converters often fail by blindly guessing the internal format and crashing. Often, only the original legacy software can properly read or export the data. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. Just drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format - like the hidden TIFF structure in a fax - viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HFX file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MP4, JFX, FAX and EFX files.
If you want to convert HFX file to MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV, WEBM, MKV, M4V, 3GP, OGV, ASF or RM, you can use Smith Micro HotFax or similar software from the "Multi-page Fax Document" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MTS, MOV, RMVB, DIVX, RM, H264, TS, WMV, VOB, MP4, XVID or AVI files to HFX, try Smith Micro HotFax or another comparable tool in the "Multi-page Fax Document" 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 HFX converter.