Extract text from Nero backup files (NCO)
To convert NCO backups to another format, you need Nero BackItUp or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Compressed Backup Archive" file type, you need software like Nero BackItUp or a similar tool.
.nco files are compressed backup archives created by Nero BackItUp. They are used to store exact copies of files, folders, or entire disk drives to protect against data loss.
The main disadvantage of the .nco format is that it creates artificial software lock-in. By default, Windows and macOS do not recognize the extension, requiring users to purchase or install Nero software just to access their own files. This proprietary approach becomes a massive barrier if a user's subscription expires, the software is discontinued, or they need to quickly recover files on a different computer.
The best workaround is to convert or extract the .nco file into standard formats like ZIP, 7Z, or TAR. Because the vast majority of .nco files are standard ZIP archives under the hood, extracting the contents removes the dependency on the Nero software ecosystem. Keep in mind that if the backup was heavily encrypted using Nero's specific security protocols, you will still need the original password to unlock the data.
Proprietary backup formats are notoriously difficult for standard online tools to process because they deliberately obscure their contents behind unlisted extensions. If our analysis detects a supported underlying ZIP format embedded inside the file, viewing or conversion may still be completely possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your NCO file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JPG, NBI, ZIP, JPEG, CRDOWNLOAD, DAT, BUP and IMA files.
If you want to convert NCO file to BAK, BACKUP, OLD, TMP, TEMP, ARC, ZIP, TAR, GZ, 7Z, RAR or ISO, you can use Nero BackItUp or similar software from the "Data Backup and Recovery" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SNAPSHOT, OLD, IMG, RESTORE, ISO, COPY, VMDK, TMP, VHD, BAK, ARCHIVE or BACKUP files to NCO, try Nero BackItUp or another comparable tool in the "Data Backup and Recovery" 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 NCO converter.