Extract text from OCR files
To convert your OCR file to another format, you need Notepad++ or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Administrative Message" file type, you need software like Notepad++ or a similar tool.
The .OCR file extension is a fragmented format primarily associated with distinct, unrelated text-based workflows. Its most specific use case is a legacy administrative message format used by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for posting orders and personnel instructions. These files are typically plain text but lack a standard file association in modern operating systems, leaving users unable to double-click and view them. Another common variation is a script file generated by Subtitle Workshop, a tool used for creating and converting video subtitles. In this context, the file contains language data and timing scripts used to correct Optical Character Recognition errors in subtitle tracks. Additionally, legacy software like FAXGrapper by Nuance used this extension for storing faxed text.
Because .OCR files are often just "containers" for raw text or proprietary encoding, they are functionally useless for sharing or archiving in their native state. For military records or subtitle scripts, the best practice is to convert them to PDF to ensure the formatting and content remain immutable across devices. For editing purposes, converting to TXT or DOCX allows you to manipulate the data in standard word processors like Microsoft Word. If the file is actually a mislabeled PDF (common in some scanning workflows), changing the extension to PDF may also work.
Convert.Guru analyzes your OCR file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PDF, DOCX, DOC, SSA, PY and AU3 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 OCR converter.