LOC to TXT Converter

LOC to TXT Conversion Explained

Converting .LOC (Localization or GPS Location) files to .TXT (Plain Text) changes structured, application-specific data into raw, unformatted text. People perform this conversion to read, edit, or translate the contents without needing specialized software.

When you convert .LOC to .TXT, you gain universal compatibility. Every operating system and device can open a .TXT file. However, you lose application-specific formatting. For GPS location files, you lose the XML structure that mapping software uses to plot coordinates. For software localization files, you lose the key-value bindings and syntax required by the game engine or application.

This conversion is a bad idea if you intend to load the file back into the original software without a reverse conversion. If you only need to extract text for human reading, it is highly effective.

Typical Tasks and Users

• Translators and Localizers: Extracting dialogue and interface strings from game or app .LOC files to translate them in standard text editors or CAT (Computer-Assisted Translation) tools.
• Geocachers and Hikers: Converting waypoint data from GPS .LOC files into a simple text list to print, share, or read on a mobile device.
• Data Analysts: Parsing coordinate data or software strings into a flat text format for import into custom scripts or databases.

Software & Tool Support

Because .LOC files serve two entirely different purposes, the software used to handle them varies:

• GPS Location Files: You can open and convert these using GPSBabel, EasyGPS, or Garmin BaseCamp.
• Localization Files: These are often plain text with specific syntax. You can open them with advanced text editors like Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code.
• .TXT Files: Supported natively by Windows Notepad, macOS TextEdit, and all command-line environments.

Pros and Cons of the Conversion

Pros:

• Universal Compatibility: .TXT files open instantly on any device without third-party software.
• Readability: Stripping out XML tags or code syntax leaves clean text that is easy for humans to read.
• File Size: Removing structural metadata slightly reduces the overall file size.

Cons:

• Loss of Structure: GPS devices cannot read a plain .TXT file to plot waypoints. The XML schema is destroyed.
• Broken Syntax: If you convert a localization file to plain text and alter the formatting, the target application will fail to compile or display the text correctly.
• Encoding Risks: Localization files often use specific character encodings (like UTF-8 or UTF-16) to support international alphabets. A poor conversion to .TXT can result in broken characters (mojibake).

Conversion Difficulties & Why Convert.Guru

The main technical problem in converting .LOC to .TXT is parsing. Simply renaming the file extension from .loc to .txt does not convert the file. If the .LOC is an XML-based geocaching file, renaming it leaves all the <waypoint> and <coord> tags intact, making it difficult to read. If the .LOC is a compiled binary localization file from a game engine, renaming it results in unreadable garbage text.

A proper conversion requires parsing the underlying structure, extracting only the relevant strings or coordinates, handling the character encoding, and outputting clean text. Convert.Guru handles this pipeline automatically. It detects whether your .LOC file is a GPS XML file or a localization string file, strips the unnecessary code tags safely, preserves the correct UTF-8 encoding, and delivers a clean .TXT file without manual formatting.

LOC vs. TXT: What is the better choice?

Which format should you choose?

Choose .LOC when you are actively using the file in its native environment. If you are uploading waypoints to a Garmin device or compiling a software translation, the file must remain in the .LOC format to function.

Choose .TXT when you need to share the data with non-technical users, print a list of coordinates, or run basic text analysis.

When to avoid this conversion: Do not convert GPS .LOC files to .TXT if you want to move waypoints to another mapping application. Instead, convert .LOC to .GPX or .CSV, which preserve the coordinate data in a structured way that other software can read.

Conclusion

Converting .LOC to .TXT makes sense when you need to extract readable text or coordinates from a structured file for human review. The biggest limitation to watch for is the complete loss of machine-readable structure; you cannot easily send a plain text file back into a GPS device or game engine. Convert.Guru provides a reliable solution for this exact conversion by accurately parsing the source file, handling character encoding, and stripping away unnecessary code to give you a clean, readable text file.