Extract text from MANIFEST files
To convert your MANIFEST file to another format, you need Microsoft_Visual_Studio or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Configuration Metadata File" file type, you need software like Microsoft_Visual_Studio or a similar tool.
The .manifest file extension is a versatile container used primarily for application configuration and metadata across different environments. In the Windows ecosystem, these are typically XML documents that define an application's dependencies, visual styles (DPI awareness), and permission levels (UAC), allowing software to run without "DLL Hell." In game development, specifically with the Unity engine, manifest files track hash and dependency data for AssetBundles. Similarly, platforms like Steam and Epic Games Store use them to manage game updates and installation paths.
A major drawback for users is that .manifest files rarely have a default application associated with them. While Windows manifests are human-readable XML, the OS treats them as unknown system files, preventing simple double-click access. Furthermore, game manifests can be binary or use proprietary text serialization (like Valve's VDF) that standard editors render as garbled text. To view, edit, or debug these files, the most effective solution is to convert them to standard text formats. Converting a Windows manifest to XML allows for syntax highlighting in editors like Visual Studio Code, while converting game manifests to TXT or JSON makes it easier to inspect asset lists and verify game integrity without launching the full engine.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MANIFEST file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted APPLICATION, WEBMANIFEST, CUSTOMMANIFEST, XML, MF, JSON, MANIFEST-000001, NFA, NFV, WIN, VIDEOMANIFEST, NFS and LUA files.
If you want to convert MANIFEST file to SYS, DLL, EXE, DRV, VXD, 386, COM, BAT, CMD, SCR, PIF or LNK, you can use Microsoft_Visual_Studio or similar software from the "Application Metadata & Configuration" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MSI, EXE, REG, MST, LNK, CAB, CAT, DRV, INF, SYS, MSU or DLL files to MANIFEST, try Microsoft_Visual_Studio or another comparable tool in the "Application Metadata & Configuration" 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 MANIFEST converter.