Extract text from Infinity Ward textures (IWI)
To convert IWI textures to another format, you need Call of Duty or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Texture File" file type, you need software like Call of Duty or a similar tool.
The .IWI file is a proprietary texture image format utilized by the IW Engine. Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, this file stores compressed 2D raster graphics. Common use cases include storing weapon skins, character textures, and environmental maps for the Call of Duty video game franchise, including titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.
Modders frequently interact with these files when customizing game assets. However, standard image editors like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP cannot open .IWI files natively. The format is heavily optimized for the specific game engine, meaning it lacks basic cross-compatibility. It relies on proprietary header structures stacked on top of standard DXT compression. The primary disadvantage of the .IWI format is that you cannot view, edit, or share the image data outside of the game environment without relying on dedicated, community-built reverse-engineering tools.
To effectively edit a game texture, you must convert the .IWI file to DDS (DirectDraw Surface), PNG, or TGA. Converting to DDS is highly recommended because it retains essential mipmaps and specific compression formats (like DXT1 or DXT5) required for re-importing the asset back into the game. Converting to PNG is ideal for general viewing or sharing on the web, but it strips all game-specific metadata.
Because .IWI is a closed, proprietary game asset, standard online converters usually fail to process it. Only the original software or specialized community modding tools (like iwi2dds) can properly decode the pixel data. Our platform can inspect the file, and if our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your IWI file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted IWD, PNG, DDS, JPG, ZIP, RAR, FF, PDF, ODG, MUSX, HAR, SAV and MSCZ files.
If you want to convert IWI file to DDS, PNG, JPG, PDF, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP, ICO, CUR or PSD, you can use Call of Duty or similar software from the "Game Texture Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RAW, PNG, AI, NEF, PSB, DNG, SVG, GIF, EPS, JPG, ARW or PDF files to IWI, try Call of Duty or another comparable tool in the "Game Texture Storage" 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 IWI converter.