Extract text from Installer database files (IDT)
To convert IDT Database files to another format, you need InstallShield or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Installer Database Export File" file type, you need software like InstallShield or a similar tool.
The .IDT file extension primarily functions as an Installer Database Table Data file. It is standardly used by Microsoft Windows Installer and setup-authoring software like Flexera InstallShield. Because a MSI installer is essentially a relational database, developers export individual tables from this database as .IDT files. These files contain tab-separated plain text. The first few rows strictly define the table name, column definitions, and primary keys. A secondary, less common use case is as an executable game application extension file utilized in legacy racing simulators developed by the Papyrus Design Group.
The main disadvantage of the .IDT format is its highly rigid and fragile structure. If you manually edit the tab-separated data in a standard text editor, you risk breaking the strict schema required by the Windows Installer. Small syntax errors or accidental space insertions can corrupt the entire installation package when you attempt to re-import the file. Additionally, standard spreadsheet applications often mishandle the custom column definitions stored in the header rows, leading to data alignment issues.
To safely analyze the raw data, converting .IDT to CSV or XLSX is often the best approach. However, converting it back to a working MSI table requires exact adherence to the original database schema. Because this file format is difficult to open or convert safely without the official Windows SDK tools, standard online converters often fail to process it correctly.
Convert.Guru analyzes your IDT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted LDT, ODT, IDF, PDF, ZIP, _MP, ISS, ISU and EST files.
If you want to convert IDT file to EST, JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO or RS, you can use InstallShield or similar software from the "Installer Database Table Export" 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 IDT, try InstallShield or another comparable tool in the "Installer Database Table Export" 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 IDT converter.