Extract text from map and backup files (OBF)
To convert OBF map files to another format, you need OsmAnd or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Offline Vector Map" file type, you need software like OsmAnd or a similar tool.
The .OBF file extension is most commonly associated with OsmAnd Offline Map files. These files contain compiled OpenStreetMap (OSM) vector data, routing indices, and points of interest (POI) optimized for the OsmAnd mobile navigation app. Another frequent use for .OBF files is as device backup or firmware packages generated by Huawei smartphones.
Users often need to convert .OBF files because they are highly application-specific and restrictive. OsmAnd map files are large, proprietary binary databases that cannot be opened by standard GIS desktop software like QGIS or ArcGIS without specialized developer tools. Huawei backup files share a similar problem; they are often encrypted, proprietary containers that require the original hardware or specific Huawei software to restore. This locks users out of their own spatial data, contacts, and photos, making it incredibly frustrating to access information on other platforms.
When dealing with map data, users typically want to convert .OBF to standard geographic formats like GPX for track logs, KML for Google Earth, or GEOJSON for web mapping. For Huawei backups, the end goal is usually extracting standard archive formats like ZIP or raw text and image files.
Because .OBF files are either complex, compiled spatial databases or encrypted backup archives, standard online converters fail to process them. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
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.
If you want to convert OBF file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use OsmAnd or similar software from the "Offline Vector Map Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to OBF, try OsmAnd or another comparable tool in the "Offline Vector Map 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 OBF converter.