Extract text from Windows shortcuts (LNK)
To convert LNK shortcuts to another format, you need Microsoft Windows or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Windows Shortcut" file type, you need software like Microsoft Windows or a similar tool.
The .LNK file is a binary format used by Microsoft Windows to create shortcuts to local files, network paths, or applications. Managed natively by the Windows Explorer shell, these files contain metadata such as the target file path, working directory, command-line arguments, and icon locations.
The most common frustration with a .LNK file is that users mistake it for the actual file. Because a shortcut is typically only a few kilobytes in size, copying a .LNK file to a USB drive instead of the original 500MB MP4 video means the file will be completely useless on another computer. Furthermore, .LNK files are highly proprietary, exclusively functional on Windows operating systems, and are not supported by web browsers or Apple devices. They are also a notorious vector for malware, often used to hide malicious scripts.
Because it holds no media or document data, you cannot convert a .LNK file to a PDF, JPG, or MP4. Instead, the conversion process involves extracting the metadata. For forensics, debugging, or recovering lost paths, convert your shortcut to a TXT or JSON file to safely read its target destination. If it points to a web address, you can extract it to a URL file.
Convert.Guru analyzes your LNK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted INK, DOWNLOAD, SHORTCUT, PDF, DOCX, EXE, ZIP, JPG, BIN, DOC, LNK 3, TXT and XLSX files.
If you want to convert LNK file to PDF, MP4, EXE, SYS, DLL, DRV, VXD, 386, COM, BAT, CMD or SCR, you can use Microsoft Windows or similar software from the "File and Folder Shortcuts" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MSI, EXE, REG, MST, CAB, CAT, DRV, INF, SYS, MSU, DLL or PIF files to LNK, try Microsoft Windows or another comparable tool in the "File and Folder Shortcuts" 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 LNK converter.