Extract text from Interleaf data files (IDU)
To convert IDU data files to another format, you need QuickSilver or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Transfer Package" file type, you need software like QuickSilver or a similar tool.
The .idu file extension is primarily associated with the Interleaf Desktop Utility, a legacy tool used to package and transfer Interleaf (now PTC Arbortext) documents between different operating systems, such as moving files from UNIX workstations to Windows PCs. Unlike a standard document, an .idu file is a binary container or "combiner" file that wraps the actual technical content (often ildoc or Interleaf doc) to preserve file attributes and naming conventions across platforms.
Users typically encounter these files when accessing archived engineering data or technical publications from the 1990s or early 2000s. The main challenge is that .idu files cannot be opened by modern word processors like Microsoft Word or standard PDF readers. To access the content, the file must theoretically be "unpacked" using the obsolete Interleaf Desktop Utility or imported into a legacy installation of BroadVision QuickSilver.
For modern workflows, the goal is to convert these containers into accessible formats. For archiving, PDF/A is the standard target. For editing the text and technical illustrations, converting to DOCX or RTF is preferred, though formatting (especially complex tables and vector graphics) often requires manual cleanup after extraction.
Alternative Uses:
Convert.Guru analyzes your IDU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PMD, SDOC and DOC files.
If you want to convert IDU file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use QuickSilver or similar software from the "Interleaf Document Transfer" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to IDU, try QuickSilver or another comparable tool in the "Interleaf Document Transfer" 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 IDU converter.