Extract text from InCopy assignment files (ICMA)
To convert ICMA assignments to another format, you need Adobe InCopy or other Page Layout software.
To convert other file formats to the "InCopy Assignment File" file type, you need software like Adobe InCopy or a similar tool.
An .icma file is an InCopy Assignment File created by Adobe InDesign to manage editorial workflows. It allows designers to assign specific text frames, tables, or graphics to writers and editors using Adobe InCopy, enabling simultaneous collaboration without risking accidental changes to the master layout.
The main disadvantage of the .icma format is its heavily proprietary nature. It requires an active, paid Adobe Creative Cloud subscription to open. The format acts as a structural envelope and relies on linked icml files to actually store the text. This makes it impossible to read natively in standard word processors or web browsers, creating massive friction when dealing with external clients who simply want to read or edit the copy.
To share the content outside the Adobe ecosystem, the best conversion targets are DOCX, RTF, or TXT for text editing, and PDF for reviewing the layout context. Be aware that exporting to plain text formats will strip away the precise typographic geometry defined by InDesign.
Because this is a closed, proprietary workflow file, standard online converters routinely fail to process it. The file relies heavily on external local network paths or cloud links that external servers cannot resolve. Even if direct conversion fails due to missing linked assets, we can identify the file, inspect its internal XML-based assignment data, and attempt to extract any embedded text snippets.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ICMA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert ICMA file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use Adobe InCopy or similar software from the "Editorial layout workflow synchronization" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to ICMA, try Adobe InCopy or another comparable tool in the "Editorial layout workflow synchronization" 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 ICMA converter.