Extract text from Windows search files (QUERY)
To convert QUERY search files to another format, you need Microsoft Windows or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Windows System File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Windows or a similar tool.
The .query file extension is primarily used for Microsoft Windows Indexing Service queries or Windows Help and Support Center searches. These files store specific search parameters and file paths. A secondary use for .query files is as temporary Windows Registry Hive components.
These files are native to the Windows operating system. They are designed to be read internally by built-in utilities like Windows Explorer, the Windows Search Indexer, or the Registry Editor.
The main disadvantage of the .query format is its strict reliance on the Windows ecosystem. It is a proprietary format and is often tied to legacy versions of the operating system. Users face significant limits when trying to access these files on macOS, Linux, or mobile devices. They are not supported by web browsers. Furthermore, attempting to open a Registry Hive variant of a .query file without proper Microsoft tools usually results in unreadable binary data.
Users typically need to convert these files to extract readable search strings, file paths, or registry keys. The most practical target formats are plain text (TXT), comma-separated values (CSV), or XML. Converting to TXT will preserve the human-readable text but permanently strip away the executable search or system integration functionality.
This file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert online. Because these are closed, proprietary system files, standard online converters fail to process them. Often, only the original Windows software can properly read or export the data. However, just drag and drop your file onto convert.guru to identify the format, inspect the internal text or binary content, and extract readable data if supported.
Convert.Guru analyzes your QUERY file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted IQY, PBF, ANN, JQX, QRY, TABLE and JSON files.
If you want to convert QUERY file to TABLE, JSON, DB, SQLITE, SQLITE3, MDB, ACCDB, DBF, ODB, FDB, GDB or MYD, you can use Microsoft Windows or similar software from the "Saved Search Parameters" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert NDF, SQLITE3, BAK, RDB, SQL, DB4, MDF, MDB, LDF, DB, DB3 or SQLITE files to QUERY, try Microsoft Windows or another comparable tool in the "Saved Search Parameters" 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 QUERY converter.