Extract text from 3D model files (MOL)
To convert MOL 3D models to another format, you need ChemDraw or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Cheminformatics Data File" file type, you need software like ChemDraw or a similar tool.
The .MOL file format primarily functions as an MDL Molfile, a standard data format used in cheminformatics to store chemical molecule structures. It contains specific blocks of text defining atoms, bonds, spatial connectivity, and coordinates. These files are essential for drug discovery and chemical research, typically managed by specialized software like ChemDraw, ChemAxon Marvin, and ACD/Labs. A very rare secondary use for the .MOL extension is as a 3D model file for the game LittleBigPlanet.
The main disadvantage of the .MOL format is its rigid, highly specialized nature. It relies on legacy text structures (such as V2000 and V3000 connection tables) that are completely unreadable by standard web browsers, image viewers, or generic 3D modeling software like Blender. Users face steep barriers to entry, as properly rendering the molecular coordinates into a visual diagram often requires a paid, desktop-bound scientific software suite.
Users typically convert .MOL files to SDF (Structure-Data File) to bundle multiple molecules together, PDB for protein and macromolecule analysis, or SMI (SMILES) to condense the entire 3D structure into a lightweight text string. Converting to a raster image like PNG is also common for presentations, though this destroys the underlying chemical coordinate data.
Because this format relies on scientific parsing libraries, generic online converters usually fail to process it. Just drag and drop your file to convert.guru to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Since the MDL Molfile is entirely text-based, our analysis tool can bypass rendering limits to let you instantly inspect the raw connection tables, atom lists, and embedded structural data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MOL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MOL2, CXF, JPG, PNG, CDX, PDF, PDB, CDXML, SDF, JPEG, SKC, MDL and SVG files.
If you want to convert MOL file to PPM, MASS, G, MG, WT, PDB, CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML or TOML, you can use ChemDraw or similar software from the "Chemical Structure Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to MOL, try ChemDraw or another comparable tool in the "Chemical Structure 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 MOL converter.