NCH Converter

Extract text from NCH files

Select File
Drop or upload your .NCH file

Online File Converter

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How to extract text from your NCH file

Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your NCH file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.

Convert NCH to another file type

To convert your NCH file to another format, you need QuickBooks or other Data software.

Convert a file to NCH

To convert other file formats to the "Financial Data File" file type, you need software like QuickBooks or a similar tool.

About NCH files

The .nch extension creates significant confusion because it serves two mutually exclusive, technical purposes.

1. ACH Transaction Data (Financial):
In the majority of modern use cases (approx. 66%), an .nch file is a raw ACH (Automated Clearing House) data file formatted to the NACHA standard. These files are typically generated by accounting platforms like QuickBooks or banking portals to execute batch direct deposits and payments.

The Problem: The file is a rigid, fixed-width ASCII text file (94 characters per line) designed for mainframe processing, not human reading. Opening it in a text editor reveals a "wall of text" without column headers, making it impossible to audit transactions or verify totals visually.
The Solution: To make the data actionable, you must convert the .nch file to CSV (Comma Separated Values) or Excel (.XLSX) to parse the fixed columns into a readable spreadsheet. For strict record-keeping, convert to PDF.

2. Outlook Express Folder Index (Legacy Email):
Historically, .nch files were used by Outlook Express (specifically versions 4.0 and 5.0) as index files to store the directory structure of your mailboxes.

The Problem: These are purely structural pointers. They do not contain your actual email messages (which are stored in accompanying MBX or DBX files). An .nch file on its own is useless and cannot be opened by modern clients like Microsoft Outlook.
The Solution: If you are recovering old emails, you need the full folder set. Conversion tools focus on extracting data from the DBX files into PST or EML formats, rather than converting the index file itself.

Convert.Guru analyzes your NCH file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.

Users also converted NLCH, EPUB, ZIP, SKF, BU and SEC files.

FAQ

If you want to convert NCH file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use QuickBooks or similar software from the "ACH Transaction Data" 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 NCH, try QuickBooks or another comparable tool in the "ACH Transaction Data" category.

The NCH Converter Story

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 NCH converter.