Extract text from Layered cursor images (RCU)
To convert RCU Cursors to another format, you need RealWorld Cursor Editor or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Layered Cursor Project" file type, you need software like RealWorld Cursor Editor or a similar tool.
The .RCU file format is a proprietary layered cursor project created by RealWorld Cursor Editor. It stores multi-layered graphics, animation frames, and specific hotspot coordinates needed to build custom mouse cursors.
Because the .RCU format is a closed project file, it suffers from severe compatibility limitations. You cannot install an .RCU file directly into Windows as a mouse pointer, and standard web browsers or image viewers cannot open it. To make the file usable, it must be exported to standard formats like a static CUR or an animated ANI file. For web publishing, users often convert the frames to PNG or GIF. Once exported, all layer data and vector shapes are permanently flattened.
This proprietary nature makes the file exceptionally difficult for third-party tools to process. Standard online converters fail because they lack the engine to read the undocumented layer masks and hotspot data. Only the original software can correctly compile the data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your RCU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert RCU file to JPG, PDF, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, TIF, WEBP, ICO, CUR, PSD or PSB, you can use RealWorld Cursor Editor or similar software from the "Cursor Project 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 RCU, try RealWorld Cursor Editor or another comparable tool in the "Cursor Project 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 RCU converter.