Extract text from QuickChart files (QCT)
To convert QCT files to another format, you need Memory-Map or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Raster Map" file type, you need software like Memory-Map or a similar tool.
The .QCT extension most commonly identifies a QuickChart digital map file, the proprietary raster format used by Memory-Map navigation software. These files bundle scanned topographic maps or marine charts with georeferencing data, allowing real-time GPS tracking.
A common issue for users is proprietary lock-in: most .QCT files (especially modern ones) are encrypted with DRM that binds them to a specific device ID or user account. This prevents them from being opened in open-source GIS tools like QGIS or standard image viewers like Photoshop. While older, unencrypted versions can sometimes be converted using commercial tools like Global Mapper, most users are restricted to viewing them within the Memory-Map ecosystem.
For archiving or printing, the most practical workflow is opening the file in Memory-Map and using the "Print" function to save the visual map as a PDF. If you need to transfer navigation data (waypoints, routes, tracks) to another device (like a Garmin), you must export the overlay data to GPX, as the .QCT file itself is just the background image.
Secondary Use: In a corporate environment, a .QCT file may be a Quality Companion Template used by Minitab for process improvement projects. These are often renamed ZIP archives containing XML data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your QCT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SCORE, OVE and XMB files.
If you want to convert QCT file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use Memory-Map or similar software from the "Digital Map Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to QCT, try Memory-Map or another comparable tool in the "Digital Map 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 QCT converter.