Extract text from build automation scripts (MAKEFILE)
To convert MAKEFILE build scripts to another format, you need GNU Make or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Build Automation Script" file type, you need software like GNU Make or a similar tool.
The .makefile format (often simply named Makefile) is a plain text script containing rules and dependencies used by the GNU Make utility. These scripts dictate exactly how software source code is compiled and linked into executable programs. Although foundational to C/C++ development on Unix-like systems, Makefiles suffer from severe readability and maintenance issues.
The syntax notoriously requires literal tab characters for command indentation - a single space instead of a tab will trigger a 'missing separator' error and break the entire build process. Furthermore, they are often heavily tied to specific shell environments, making them highly platform-dependent and difficult to execute on Windows systems without specialized tools. Because they are raw text, non-developers or external teams often struggle to parse or document them effectively.
When you need to share, archive, or migrate these instructions, conversion is necessary. Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser. For documentation and sharing with non-technical stakeholders, convert .makefile to PDF or MD (Markdown). To safely extract the plain text without syntax highlighting or formatting risks, convert it to standard TXT. Advanced developers migrating to modern build systems often translate Makefile logic into .ninja or CMake configurations.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MAKEFILE file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MAKE, MD, TXT, GLOBAL, MIB, CMAKE and SLN files.
If you want to convert MAKEFILE file to CMAKE, SLN, JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB or GO, you can use GNU Make or similar software from the "Software build automation script" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to MAKEFILE, try GNU Make or another comparable tool in the "Software build automation script" 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 MAKEFILE converter.