Extract text from JCL files
To convert your JCL file to another format, you need Hot Potatoes or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Quiz Data / Mainframe Script" file type, you need software like Hot Potatoes or a similar tool.
The .JCL extension is most commonly associated with JCloze, a component of the Hot Potatoes suite used by educators to create interactive gap-fill (cloze) exercises. These files store the raw XML data - including the text, gaps, and clues - rather than the playable quiz itself. A frequent frustration for teachers is sending this source file to students, who cannot open it without the specific software. To make the quiz accessible in a web browser, the .JCL file must be converted or exported to HTML or HTM.
Alternatively, in enterprise environments, a .JCL file represents Job Control Language, a scripting language used on IBM mainframe operating systems (like z/OS) to instruct the Job Entry Subsystem (JES) on how to run a batch job. These scripts define programs, allocate resources, and manage datasets. While plain text, they are often locked inside mainframe environments or legacy backups. Converting these scripts to TXT or PDF is essential for documentation, migration to modern cloud infrastructure, or simply viewing the code without a mainframe terminal emulator.
Convert.Guru analyzes your JCL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZS, KS, IDC, PYTHON and JAVA files.
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 JCL converter.