Extract text from Game media shortcuts (MAD)
To convert MAD Shortcuts to another format, you need Electronic Arts or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Video or Shortcut" file type, you need software like Electronic Arts or a similar tool.
The .mad file extension is most commonly associated with Electronic Arts (EA) games as a multimedia asset file, specifically utilizing the EA Madcow Movie format. These files contain proprietary video and audio data used for in-game cutscenes, soundtracks, and UI elements. Alternatively, .mad files function as Microsoft Access Module Shortcuts. These shortcuts allow users to execute specific Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) modules within an Access database without navigating the full application interface. Other minor applications include video projection mapping projects in MadMapper and 3D models in mobile games like Fruit Ninja by Halfbrick Studios.
The main disadvantage of .mad files is their fragmented, proprietary nature. EA game files require specific legacy game engines or fan-made extraction tools to play; they cannot be opened by standard media players like VLC or modern web browsers. Microsoft Access shortcuts are completely useless without a local installation of the parent database and a paid Microsoft 365 subscription. Furthermore, MadMapper project files do not embed media, meaning moving the .mad file breaks the project if the source videos are left behind.
To make these files universally usable, you need to convert them. For EA media files, convert .mad to MP4 or AVI for video playback, and MP3 or WAV for audio preservation. For Access data extraction, convert the underlying database tables to CSV or SQL.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MAD file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MAI, FRM, WAV, M4A, ZPA and US files.
If you want to convert MAD file to US, MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC or APE, you can use Electronic Arts or similar software from the "Game Media & Database Shortcut" 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 MAD, try Electronic Arts or another comparable tool in the "Game Media & Database Shortcut" 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 MAD converter.