Extract text from crossword puzzle files (PUZ)
To convert PUZ crosswords to another format, you need Across Lite or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Crossword Puzzle File" file type, you need software like Across Lite or a similar tool.
The .PUZ file extension primarily represents an Across Lite Crossword Puzzle, a digital puzzle format created by Literate Software. It stores crossword grids, clues, and answers in a proprietary binary format. Major publications like The New York Times traditionally offered puzzles in this format for digital solvers. A smaller percentage of .PUZ files are used by Datacomp BIMestiMate as Polish construction cost estimate files, or as Packed Publisher files by Microsoft.
Users often need to convert .PUZ files because the original Across Lite application is outdated and lacks native modern mobile or web browser support. The format is heavily restricted and proprietary, making it impossible to open natively on standard operating systems. Furthermore, if you want to print the puzzle, you are forced to install specific desktop software just to view it.
The best conversion targets for a .PUZ crossword are PDF for easy printing and offline sharing, or .JPZ and XML for modern digital puzzle solvers. Converting to PDF will result in a static printable page, meaning all interactive solving features will be permanently lost.
This file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert because its binary structure requires exact parsing logic that standard document viewers lack. For BIMestiMate files, the proprietary data relies entirely on the original Polish software. We will inspect the file and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
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 Storage" 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 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 PUZ converter.