Extract text from README files
To convert your README file to another format, you need Notepad++ or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Software Documentation" file type, you need software like Notepad++ or a similar tool.
A .readme file is a plain text documentation file used to describe software projects, directory contents, or archive metadata. While standard practice usually names these files simply "README" (without an extension) or "README.txt", the specific .readme extension is frequently found in Google Takeout archives, legacy Amiga software packages, and older GitHub repository downloads.
Users often face friction because Windows and macOS do not natively recognize the .readme extension. Double-clicking usually results in an "Unknown File Type" error or prompts the user to select an application. Additionally, these files often contain Markdown syntax (symbols like # or ** for formatting), which looks cluttered and raw when opened in a basic editor like Microsoft Notepad.
For the best reading experience, users should convert .readme files to PDF for a clean, paginated manual that is easy to share and print. For editing or broader compatibility, converting to standard TXT ensures the file opens instantly on any device. If the file uses Markdown formatting, converting to HTML will render the text with proper headers, bolding, and links as the author intended.
Convert.Guru analyzes your README file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted MD, TXT, DOCX, HTML, PDF, ZIP, PY, EXE, BIN, NFO, XML and TEXT files.
If you want to convert README file to PDF, HTML, TEXT, DOCX, TXT, RTF, DOC, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX or MD, you can use Notepad++ or similar software from the "Software Documentation" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE, RTF or LOG files to README, try Notepad++ or another comparable tool in the "Software Documentation" 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 README converter.