Extract text from mobile messages (PDU)
To convert PDU messages to another format, you need LG Mobile Switch or other Encoded software.
To convert other file formats to the "Mobile Backup" file type, you need software like LG Mobile Switch or a similar tool.
A .pdu (Protocol Data Unit) file typically contains the raw, encoded data of a mobile SMS or MMS message. While the format itself is defined by 3GPP standards for cellular transmission, users most commonly encounter these files when extracting data from Android device backups, particularly from LG Backup archives (.LBF).
The Problem: Unlike a standard TXT document or JPG image, a PDU file acts as a hex-encoded "envelope." It contains transmission headers (such as the sender's number, timestamp, and encoding type) wrapped around the actual message payload. Attempting to open this file in a standard editor like Notepad++ usually reveals unintelligible alphanumeric strings or binary gibberish.
The Solution: To make the content readable, the PDU must be parsed or converted:
Users frequently find these files named sequentially (e.g., 0.pdu, 1.pdu) inside folders extracted from mobile backup tools.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PDU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MMS, 12, UDPF and BS files.
If you want to convert PDU file to , you can use LG Mobile Switch or similar software from the "Mobile Message Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to PDU, try LG Mobile Switch or another comparable tool in the "Mobile Message 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 PDU converter.