Extract text from Program output files (OUTPUT)
To convert OUTPUT Output files to another format, you need Text Editors or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Generic Program Log File" file type, you need software like Text Editors or a similar tool.
A .output file is a generic extension used by hundreds of command-line utilities, network hardware, and software applications to store the results of an operation, diagnostic scan, or system event. Common generators include HashiCorp Terraform (which saves infrastructure execution plans as ZIP-compressed output), Ciena optical network hardware (for GZIP-compressed diagnostic logs), Unix terminal sessions via the script command, and simulation software like XL Optimizer.
The primary disadvantage of the .output format is its complete lack of standardization. Because it is a generic extension rather than a strict format, a .output file might be plain text, a ZIP archive, or a GZIP-compressed binary blob depending entirely on the software that created it. This ambiguity makes it frustrating to open. Standard text editors often freeze or crash if the file is unexpectedly compressed, and double-clicking the file in Windows or macOS invariably results in an annoying "Unknown Program" error.
To make these files safely readable or shareable, you must convert them to standardized formats based on their actual contents. For archiving text logs and sharing them with non-technical teams, convert them to PDF. If you need to extract tabular diagnostic data into a spreadsheet, convert them to CSV.
Convert.Guru analyzes your OUTPUT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ACQU, TEMP, INFO, PAR, ALR, ERROR, USAGE and INPUT files.
If you want to convert OUTPUT file to INPUT, you can use Text Editors or similar software from the "Program Logs and Diagnostic Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to OUTPUT, try Text Editors or another comparable tool in the "Program Logs and Diagnostic Data" 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 OUTPUT converter.