Extract text from PUZ files
To convert your PUZ file to another format, you need Across Lite or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Puzzle Data" file type, you need software like Across Lite or a similar tool.
The .puz file extension is the de facto standard for digital crossword puzzles, originally developed for the software Across Lite. This binary format encapsulates the grid layout, clues, solution, and metadata (like author and copyright) into a single, compact file. It was historically used by major publishers like the New York Times for downloadable archives.
Because .puz is a proprietary binary format, it cannot be opened in standard text editors like Notepad or word processors like Microsoft Word. Users often struggle to view or print these puzzles without installing specific legacy software. To solve this, users typically convert .puz files to PDF for high-quality printing, PNG for sharing on the web, or Text to extract the clues for other uses.
Note: In specific regional markets (primarily Poland), a .puz file may instead be a construction cost estimate project created by Datacomp BIMestiMate (formerly Zuzia). These are unrelated to crosswords and require the specific Datacomp software to open.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PUZ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted IPUZ, PDF, PNG, EJP and BBRKPUZZLE files.
If you want to convert PUZ file to PDF, ZIP, RAR, 7Z, TAR, GZ, BZ2, XZ, LZMA, CAB, ACE or ARJ, you can use Across Lite or similar software from the "Digital Crossword Puzzle" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert XXE, 7Z, Z, PAK, LHA, DEB, UUE, TAR, LZH, ZIP, PKG or RAR files to PUZ, try Across Lite or another comparable tool in the "Digital Crossword Puzzle" 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 PUZ converter.