Extract text from MacGourmet databases (MGDATABASE)
To convert MGDATABASE databases to another format, you need MacGourmet Deluxe or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Recipe Management Database" file type, you need software like MacGourmet Deluxe or a similar tool.
The .mgdatabase file format is a proprietary recipe database created by MacGourmet Deluxe, a macOS culinary management application developed by Mariner Software. It functions as a digital cookbook, storing detailed ingredient lists, cooking instructions, nutritional information, wine pairings, and embedded images. While it was once popular among home cooks and professionals, MacGourmet Deluxe has essentially been abandoned, leaving thousands of users with locked, inaccessible recipe collections.
The primary disadvantage of the .mgdatabase format is its closed ecosystem. It relies on Apple's Core Data architecture and is specifically structured for the MacGourmet software. Because the app is no longer actively supported, users upgrading to newer macOS versions often find themselves unable to open their own recipes. Migrating data to modern alternatives like Paprika Recipe Manager or plain text systems like Cooklang requires exporting the database into universal formats like CSV, TXT, XML, or PDF. However, if the software refuses to launch, exporting from within the app becomes impossible.
Converting a .mgdatabase file using standard online document converters will fail because it is not a flat document - it is a complex relational database. Standard tools simply cannot interpret the tables and linkages connecting an ingredient to its cooking steps. Because many .mgdatabase files are actually standard SQLite databases or macOS packages in disguise, our advanced analysis tools can often inspect the file, extract the raw underlying text, and help you recover your trapped culinary notes.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MGDATABASE file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MGDB files.
If you want to convert MGDATABASE file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use MacGourmet Deluxe or similar software from the "Recipe Database Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to MGDATABASE, try MacGourmet Deluxe or another comparable tool in the "Recipe Database 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 MGDATABASE converter.