Extract text from Windows password lists (PWL)
To convert PWL password lists to another format, you need Microsoft Windows or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Password Cache File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Windows or a similar tool.
The .PWL file is a legacy Windows Password List file. It was primarily used by Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME to cache network, dial-up, and application passwords. Programs like the discontinued Microsoft Money also utilized these files to store local user credentials.
This format has massive disadvantages in the modern era. It is entirely obsolete and inherently insecure. Originally encrypted with a heavily flawed algorithm tied to the username, Microsoft later updated it to use a 128-bit RC4 cipher. Despite the update, the format remains highly vulnerable to brute-force attacks and is entirely unsupported by modern operating systems. You cannot natively open a .PWL file on Windows 10 or 11.
When handling a .PWL file, the typical goal is credential recovery rather than traditional conversion. The most practical target formats are plain text TXT or CSV, allowing you to read the recovered passwords. Extracting this data usually requires specialized legacy password auditing software.
Because .PWL is a closed, proprietary, and encrypted binary format, standard online file converters will fail to process it. They do not possess the decryption algorithms or the user credentials required to unlock the data stream.
However, you can still use convert.guru. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view its internal structure, and convert it when possible. Our platform will analyze the binary header, confirm the file's origin, and expose any unencrypted text strings embedded within the cache.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PWL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PWL1, MSWMM, XLR and UPS files.
If you want to convert PWL file to SYS, DLL, EXE, DRV, VXD, 386, COM, BAT, CMD, SCR, PIF or LNK, you can use Microsoft Windows or similar software from the "Legacy Password Caching" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MSI, EXE, REG, MST, LNK, CAB, CAT, DRV, INF, SYS, MSU or DLL files to PWL, try Microsoft Windows or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Password Caching" 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 PWL converter.