Extract text from PicoQuant data files (PTU)
To convert PTU data files to another format, you need SymPhoTime 64 or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Time-Tagged Photon Data" file type, you need software like SymPhoTime 64 or a similar tool.
The .PTU file extension is most frequently associated with the PicoQuant Unified file format, a proprietary binary container used in scientific research for Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC). Generated by high-precision hardware like the PicoHarp 300, HydraHarp 400, and TimeHarp 260, these files store raw, time-tagged photon data (TTTR) in T2 or T3 modes.
The primary issue for researchers is that .PTU files are complex, binary streams that cannot be opened in standard text editors or spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel. To analyze the photon arrival times, fluorescence lifetimes, or correlation data, users must typically rely on the expensive SymPhoTime 64 software suite or write custom scripts.
For broader accessibility, the best conversion workflow involves decoding the binary data to CSV or TXT for quick inspection, or to MAT and H5 (HDF5) for advanced analysis in MATLAB or Python.
A secondary, less common use of the .PTU extension is as a Pro Tools plugin update or data wrapper. In this context, the file is often a compressed executable or archive; renaming the extension to ZIP or opening it with 7-Zip may allow users to extract the installer contents if the automatic updater fails.
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 64 or similar software from the "Scientific Photon Counting Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to PTU, try SymPhoTime 64 or another comparable tool in the "Scientific Photon Counting 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 PTU converter.