Extract text from translation files (PO)
To convert PO files to another format, you need Poedit or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Translation File" file type, you need software like Poedit or a similar tool.
A .PO file is a Portable Object file created by the GNU gettext localization system. Developers use these files to store human-readable translation strings mapping original software text to a target language. The most common tool to open and edit these files is Poedit.
While .PO files are technically plain text (often encoded in UTF-8), they have strict formatting rules involving msgid (original string) and msgstr (translated string) pairs. This makes them highly frustrating for freelance translators or clients who expect to work in standard spreadsheet software. Sending a raw .PO file to a non-technical user usually results in corrupted syntax or broken line breaks. Furthermore, software applications do not read .PO files directly; they require a compiled binary version to run efficiently and without parsing delays.
To solve these workflow bottlenecks, convert your .PO files based on your end goal. For offline translation and client review, convert to CSV or XLSX so it can be handled safely in spreadsheet software. For modern web applications and JavaScript frameworks, convert to JSON. For production deployment in your actual software, you must compile it to a MO (Machine Object) file. Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PO file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MO, POT, PPTX, DOCX, CSH, TXT, RBXMX, PDF, ZIP, FLP, TSX, SDOCX and SESSION files.
If you want to convert PO file to MO, JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO or RS, you can use Poedit or similar software from the "Software Localization Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to PO, try Poedit or another comparable tool in the "Software Localization 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 PO converter.