PID Converter

Extract text from PID files


Drop or upload your .PID file
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How to extract text from your PID file

  1. Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your PID file.
  2. You’ll see a preview, if available.
  3. Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.

Convert PID to another file type

To convert your PID file to another format, you need SmartPlant P&ID or other Cad software.

  • PID to HEX
  • PID to PDF
  • PID to SID
  • PID to SYS
  • PID to DLL
  • PID to EXE
  • PID to DRV
  • PID to VXD
  • PID to 386
  • PID to COM
  • PID to BAT
  • PID to CMD

Convert a file to PID

To convert other file formats to the "Engineering Diagram" file type, you need software like SmartPlant P&ID or a similar tool.

  • MSI to PID
  • EXE to PID
  • REG to PID
  • MST to PID
  • LNK to PID
  • CAB to PID
  • CAT to PID
  • DRV to PID
  • INF to PID
  • SYS to PID
  • MSU to PID
  • DLL to PID

About PID files

The .PID extension is a classic example of a filename collision, serving three distinct and unrelated purposes that often confuse users.

Most commonly in professional engineering environments, a .PID file is a Piping and Instrumentation Diagram created by Intergraph SmartPlant P&ID (now part of Hexagon). These are complex, proprietary CAD files based on the Microsoft Compound binary format (OLE). They store intricate schematics of process plants, including piping, equipment, and instrumentation data. A common issue here is the aggressive vendor lock-in; these files are not natively supported by standard CAD tools like AutoCAD or generic viewers. Engineers often need to convert these to PDF for client review or DWG/DXF for cross-platform collaboration, as keeping them in the native format requires expensive, specialized licensing.

In the realm of system administration, a .PID file is simply a Process ID file - a plain text file containing a number (the process identifier) used by Unix/Linux daemons to track running services. These files are lightweight but often lack the TXT extension, preventing default text editors from opening them automatically. Users typically want to "convert" these to TXT just to view the contents without forcing an 'Open With' dialog.

Lastly, if you are dealing with legacy media, the file might be a graphic from The Print Shop by Broderbund. These older raster or vector graphics are virtually inaccessible on modern operating systems (Windows 10/11 or macOS) without virtualization. Converting these legacy assets to standard JPG, PNG, or TIFF formats is essential for archiving or using the images in modern design software like Adobe Photoshop.

Convert.Guru analyzes your PID file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.

Users also converted VECZ, PJD, P1D, JPG, GEM, TXT, PDF, DWG, ZIP, JPEG, JSON, FRM and PBIX files.



The PID Converter Story

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 PID converter.