Extract text from compiled Lua scripts (LUAC)
To convert LUAC scripts to another format, you need Lua or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Compiled Script Bytecode" file type, you need software like Lua or a similar tool.
A .LUAC file is a compiled bytecode version of a standard LUA source script. Developers use the standard luac compiler to convert human-readable Lua code into this binary format. This process optimizes application load times and provides a basic layer of intellectual property protection. These files are heavily utilized in embedded systems and popular game development frameworks, including Cocos2d-x and the Amazon Lumberyard engine.
The main disadvantage of the .LUAC format is its lack of human readability. You cannot open it in a standard text editor. Furthermore, .LUAC files are notoriously rigid. The bytecode is specific to the exact version of the Lua compiler used (e.g., Lua 5.1 versus 5.3) and often specific to the architecture (32-bit vs 64-bit) of the compiling machine. This causes immediate compatibility failures if you attempt to run the script on a mismatched engine.
Users typically need to convert .LUAC back to LUA or TXT to debug legacy code, recover lost project files, or modify game behavior. Reversing the process requires a decompiler. Be aware that decompilation will not restore your original comments or formatting, and local variable names are often permanently lost during the initial compile.
Because .LUAC is a binary format that game engines often customize or encrypt, standard online text converters fail completely.
Convert.Guru analyzes your LUAC file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted LUA, TXT, GWC, ZIP, RAR, PDF, DLL, XAPK, XML, ASI, WEBP, STP and EXE files.
If you want to convert LUAC file to LUA, DLL, SO, DYLIB, BUNDLE, PLUGIN, XPI, CRX, SAFARIEXTZ, APPEX, KEXT or SYS, you can use Lua or similar software from the "Compiled Bytecode Execution" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LV2, DYLIB, VST, AAX, DRV, TDE, LADSPA, BUNDLE, AU, DLL, RTAS or SO files to LUAC, try Lua or another comparable tool in the "Compiled Bytecode Execution" 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 LUAC converter.