Extract text from Apple Calendar backups (ICBU)
To convert ICBU backups to another format, you need Apple Calendar or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Calendar Archive" file type, you need software like Apple Calendar or a similar tool.
The .ICBU file is a proprietary Calendar Backup file created by the macOS Apple Calendar application. It is used to generate a complete offline archive of all your local calendar events, account settings, and file attachments. Users typically generate these files by selecting 'File > Export > Calendar Archive' on a Mac computer.
Because .ICBU is a proprietary Apple package, it is heavily restricted. It is designed solely to be imported back into the macOS Calendar app. Users migrating to Windows, Android, or web-based services like Google Calendar will find that these platforms completely reject .ICBU files. The format is actually a hidden folder (package) containing nested SQLite databases and raw calendar data, which makes it impossible to open with standard text editors or generic file viewers.
The most practical solution is converting the data inside the .ICBU file to standard ICS (iCalendar) format. ICS is universally supported by almost all scheduling software. You can also target CSV if you need to analyze the dates in a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel.
Standard online converters fail to process .ICBU files because they do not know how to parse Apple's specific directory structures. Our platform analyzes the internal contents of the archive and, if supported, extracts the embedded ICS data so you can regain control of your schedule without being locked into the Apple ecosystem.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ICBU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZIP and ICS files.
If you want to convert ICBU file to ICS, BAK, BACKUP, OLD, TMP, TEMP, ARC, ZIP, TAR, GZ, 7Z or RAR, you can use Apple Calendar or similar software from the "Calendar Backup Archive" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SNAPSHOT, OLD, IMG, RESTORE, ISO, COPY, VMDK, TMP, VHD, BAK, ARCHIVE or BACKUP files to ICBU, try Apple Calendar or another comparable tool in the "Calendar 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 ICBU converter.