Extract text from GnuPG Keybox files (KBX)
To convert KBX keyboxes to another format, you need GnuPG or other Encoded software.
To convert other file formats to the "GnuPG Public Keyring" file type, you need software like GnuPG or a similar tool.
The .KBX file extension stands for GnuPG Keybox. It is a specialized binary database format used by Gnu Privacy Guard (GnuPG) to store OpenPGP public keys and X.509 certificates. Originally introduced in GnuPG version 2.1 to replace the older pubring.gpg format, this file acts as your central keychain on your operating system. Software like the GPG command-line utility or graphical frontends like Kleopatra are required to natively read and manage these files.
Users often need to convert or extract data from a .KBX file because it is a dense, proprietary binary file that cannot be opened in standard text editors or web browsers. Sharing a single public key with someone requires exporting it from this database. The raw .KBX format is extremely disadvantageous for direct sharing; it contains your entire public keyring, meaning passing the file to someone else risks exposing unrelated key metadata and trust signatures. It also forces the recipient to use specific, often complex command-line software to read it.
The best conversion targets for keys stored in a .KBX file are ASC (ASCII-armored text) or plain TXT files. Exporting a key to ASC allows you to safely share individual cryptographic keys as standard text over email or on web forums without losing data.
Because .KBX is a highly specific cryptographic database, standard online document converters will almost always fail to process it. Only the original software, like GnuPG, can properly decrypt, parse, and export the internal cryptographic data securely. If our analysis detects supported underlying text or embedded formats, viewing or conversion to safer formats may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your KBX file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted KDBX and XML files.
If you want to convert KBX file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use GnuPG or similar software from the "Cryptographic Public Key Storage" 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 KBX, try GnuPG or another comparable tool in the "Cryptographic Public Key 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 KBX converter.