Extract text from PicoQuant data files (PTU)
To convert PTU data files to another format, you need SymphoTime or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Time-Tagged Photon Data" file type, you need software like SymphoTime or a similar tool.
The .PTU file extension primarily represents a Time-tagged Single Photon Data File created by PicoQuant GmbH's specialized hardware, such as the PicoHarp 300. These files contain highly specialized timestamped photon data used in quantum optics and fluorescence lifetime imaging. A secondary use for .PTU files is as a Pro Tools Plugin Data File used by Avid Pro Tools, which functions as a compressed executable archive that can sometimes be extracted using 7-Zip.
Users often need to convert .PTU files because they are highly proprietary and incredibly large. PicoQuant data files cannot be opened in standard spreadsheet software like Excel due to massive data volume (often exceeding gigabytes) and binary encoding. Analyzing them requires specialized, expensive software like SymphoTime. Similarly, Pro Tools plugin files are locked to the Avid ecosystem, making their internal assets inaccessible to average users.
For scientific photon data, the best target formats are CSV, TXT, or HDF5 for integration into Python or MATLAB analysis pipelines, though complex metadata might require manual parsing. For plugin archives, extracting the contents to standard formats or a ZIP file is the standard workaround.
This file format is difficult to open or convert directly because it uses a closed, proprietary binary structure. Often, only the original hardware's software can properly read or export the raw data. However, just drag and drop your file onto convert.guru to identify the format, view its internal structure, and convert it if a supported underlying embedded format is detected.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PTU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CY, FMF, FLO and MMI files.
If you want to convert PTU file to MMI, you can use SymphoTime or similar software from the "Scientific Photon Data Logging" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to PTU, try SymphoTime or another comparable tool in the "Scientific Photon Data Logging" 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 PTU converter.