Extract text from Installer merge modules (MSM)
To convert MSM modules to another format, you need Microsoft Windows Installer or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Windows Installer Package" file type, you need software like Microsoft Windows Installer or a similar tool.
The .MSM file format is most commonly a Windows Installer Merge Module. Developers use these files to package shared software components - like DLLs, registry keys, and support files - so they can be reliably merged into multiple MSI installer databases. Microsoft Windows Installer relies on .MSM files to prevent version conflicts when different applications share the exact same background dependencies. Beyond software installation, the .MSM extension is also used for proprietary game data, such as 3D model scripts in Metin2, motion synchronization maps in Just Dance, and circuit designs in NI Multisim.
Users typically encounter severe limitations when trying to interact with .MSM files. A Merge Module is a proprietary relational database stored as a Microsoft Compound Document. You cannot double-click to install it, nor can you easily extract its contents without specialized developer tools. Standard online file converters completely fail to process these files because they expect standard media formats, not compiled system databases or raw, proprietary game assets.
Because of these rigid formats, direct conversion to a standard document or media file is rarely possible. The best conversion target for a developer is extracting the internal CAB files or decompiling the database into WXS (WiX source) XML files.
This is why this file format is difficult to open or convert. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. Our platform can inspect the .MSM file, reveal its internal structure, and show raw text or embedded components. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MSM file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MSG, MP3, PNG, SEM, SLN and O files.
If you want to convert MSM file to DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP, IGES, SAT, X_T or X_B, you can use Microsoft Windows Installer or similar software from the "Installer Component Delivery" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SLDASM, DGN, PRT, IAM, X_B, CATPRODUCT, SLDPRT, RVT, ASM, DWG, CATPART or DXF files to MSM, try Microsoft Windows Installer or another comparable tool in the "Installer Component Delivery" 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 MSM converter.