Extract text from Kurzweil and Krita files (KRZ)
To convert KRZ files to another format, you need Kurzweil or other Audio software.
To convert other file formats to the "Synthesizer Patch File" file type, you need software like Kurzweil or a similar tool.
The .krz file extension primarily represents a proprietary audio data format used by Kurzweil Music Systems, specifically for their K2000, K2500, and K2600 series synthesizers. These files contain digital instrument samples, program patches, and keyboard setup data required to recreate specific sounds on the hardware. A secondary, yet significant use of the .krz extension is as a compressed image file for Krita, a popular open-source digital painting application. In this context, the file acts as a standard ZIP archive holding image layers and XML metadata.
Both versions of the .krz format suffer from severe compatibility limitations in modern workflows. The Kurzweil audio files are closed, proprietary binary blobs designed exclusively for vintage synthesizer hardware from the 1990s. You cannot natively open them on modern operating systems or standard digital audio workstations (DAWs) without specialized, expensive third-party software like Awave Studio. Meanwhile, Krita's .krz files cannot be previewed natively in web browsers or standard OS image viewers, creating a bottleneck for digital artists trying to share their work with clients or collaborators.
To bypass these frustrating restrictions, you must convert these files into universally supported, standardized formats. Kurzweil patches are best converted to WAV for raw audio sample extraction, or SF2 (SoundFont) and NKI (Kontakt) to preserve the playable instrument mapping across a keyboard. For Krita images, extracting or converting the archive to PNG or JPG guarantees universal visibility, though the separated layered data will be flattened.
Because the synth variant is a highly specific, undocumented closed format, standard online audio converters fail completely to parse the embedded waveform data. They cannot differentiate between the synthesizer parameters and the raw PCM audio. Just drag and drop your .krz file into convert.guru to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Our analyzer can instantly determine whether your file is a Krita ZIP archive or a legacy Kurzweil sound bank. If our analysis detects the underlying ZIP structure of a Krita file, we can extract the internal mergedimage.png, making viewing and conversion effortless.
Convert.Guru analyzes your KRZ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted KRA, K25, JPG, ZIP, PNG, SLC, ASO and CXL files.
If you want to convert KRZ file to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use Kurzweil or similar software from the "Synthesizer Sample/Program Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to KRZ, try Kurzweil or another comparable tool in the "Synthesizer Sample/Program Data" 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 KRZ converter.