Extract text from CandyBar icons (PXICON)
To convert PXICON icons to another format, you need CandyBar or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Mac Icon Collection" file type, you need software like CandyBar or a similar tool.
A .pxicon file is a proprietary icon container format utilized primarily by CandyBar and Pixadex, which are discontinued Mac OS X customization applications developed by Panic and The Iconfactory. These files act as library wrappers to store and organize custom desktop icons and system interface graphics. They encapsulate standard Mac icon data but restrict direct access to the underlying images. Users typically need to convert .pxicon files to extract the embedded graphics for use in modern interface design, web development, or cross-platform icon customization.
The format presents severe real-world challenges because it is entirely closed, undocumented, and completely obsolete. CandyBar was officially discontinued in 2012 when Apple introduced strict system file protections in OS X Mountain Lion, rendering system-wide icon replacement largely impossible. Consequently, modern operating systems cannot natively read .pxicon archives, and requiring a legacy Mac running outdated software just to extract an image is highly impractical. Standard online image converters fail to process this format because it is an application-specific binary wrapper rather than a standard bitmap graphic.
The best target formats for extraction are PNG for broad web and graphic design compatibility, ICNS for modern Apple ecosystems, and ICO for Windows application development. Note that complex multi-resolution scaling or original software tagging might be lost during extraction. Because this file format is difficult to open or convert, often only the original software can properly read or export the data. Even if full structural conversion is blocked by the proprietary wrapper, our analysis tools can often inspect the file and detect the supported underlying embedded formats (such as standard ICNS or PNG data), allowing you to salvage the visual assets without installing legacy software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PXICON file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert PXICON file to JPG, PDF, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP, ICO, CUR, PSD or PSB, you can use CandyBar or similar software from the "Custom Mac Icon Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RAW, PNG, AI, NEF, PSB, DNG, SVG, GIF, EPS, JPG, ARW or PDF files to PXICON, try CandyBar or another comparable tool in the "Custom Mac Icon 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 PXICON converter.