Extract text from OBF files
To convert your OBF file to another format, you need OsmAnd or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Navigation Data File" file type, you need software like OsmAnd or a similar tool.
The .OBF extension primarily identifies the OsmAnd Binary Format, a highly compressed vector map format used exclusively by the OsmAnd navigation app for Android and iOS. These files consolidate complex OpenStreetMap data - including roads, POIs, and terrain - into a compact binary blob optimized for offline rendering on mobile devices.
While efficient for storage, the .OBF format acts as a "black box" for users; it is not natively supported by desktop GIS software like QGIS or standard image viewers. You cannot simply double-click to view the map on a PC, nor can you easily edit the vector data without converting it back to a standard source format like OSM or PBF. Users typically encounter friction when trying to port these offline maps to other GPS units or when attempting to extract specific map layers for printing.
A secondary, though significant, use of the .OBF extension is in Huawei device firmware and backup routines. In this context, the file serves as a proprietary container for system data or update packages. These files are notoriously difficult to access, often requiring specific engineering tools from Huawei to decrypt or unpack, leaving users unable to retrieve personal data without the original device.
For OsmAnd users, the ideal workflow involves generating .OBF files from standard data using OsmAndMapCreator, rather than converting to other formats. However, for archival or cross-platform use, converting the underlying data to GPX (for tracks), KML, or PDF (for static maps) is often the desired goal.
Convert.Guru analyzes your OBF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ODT, OBZ, PBF, ZIP, ODG, KML, PDF, OSM, KMZ and MXD files.
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 OBF converter.