Extract text from WoW 3D models (M2)
To convert M2 3D models to another format, you need World of Warcraft or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Model File" file type, you need software like World of Warcraft or a similar tool.
The .M2 file is a proprietary 3D model format primarily used by World of Warcraft to store in-game characters, creatures, weapons, and interactive objects. These files contain dense data arrays including vertex geometry, skeletal rigs, animations, particle emitters, and texture mapping paths. Rarely, the .M2 extension is also used for legacy PC-98 Game Music files.
Opening .M2 files directly is difficult because they are closed-source assets owned by Blizzard Entertainment. You cannot double-click them to view the contents, and standard 3D modeling suites like Blender or Autodesk Maya cannot read them natively without third-party plugins. Users are forced to rely on community-built extraction tools like WoW Model Viewer to interact with the raw game data.
Gamers and modders typically need to convert .M2 files to create fan animations, mods, or 3D prints. The best target formats are OBJ for static meshes and FBX or DAE (Collada) if you need to retain the complex skeleton and animation data. However, exporting from a proprietary game engine often results in broken particle effects, missing textures, or corrupted animation frames.
Because .M2 is a highly specialized, closed format, standard online converters usually fail to process it. Only the original game engine or dedicated community extractors can properly parse the proprietary data chunks. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your M2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MD, WMB, PLY, LXF and CM2 files.
If you want to convert M2 file to CM2, EXE, ISO, BIN, CUE, PAK, WAD, PK3, PK4, BSP, MAP or SAV, you can use World of Warcraft or similar software from the "Game 3D Model Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MOD, BIN, CFG, SCX, DAT, MPQ, LOG, CUE, INI, EXE, SCM or ISO files to M2, try World of Warcraft or another comparable tool in the "Game 3D Model 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 M2 converter.