Extract text from certificate signing requests (REQ)
To convert REQ requests to another format, you need OpenSSL or other Encoded software.
To convert other file formats to the "Certificate Signing Request" file type, you need software like OpenSSL or a similar tool.
A .REQ file is primarily a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) formatted in the PKCS #10 standard. Server administrators generate these files to apply for an SSL/TLS identity certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA). The file securely bundles the server's public key with identifying details like the domain name and organization.
Typically, these files are generated and managed using command-line cryptography tools like OpenSSL or Microsoft IIS. A very minor subset of .REQ files are generated by Canon digital cameras onto SD cards to trigger firmware updates.
The main disadvantage of a .REQ file is its readability and strict formatting constraints. Most are encoded in Base64 (PEM format), meaning if you open them in a standard text editor, you only see a block of gibberish text between -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- tags. Users cannot easily read the file to verify if the domain names (SANs) or company details are correct before paying for a certificate. Furthermore, many CA dashboards specifically demand the CSR file extension and will automatically reject a .REQ file upload, even if the internal data is identical.
To make this file useful, you must decode or adapt it. For web portal uploads, convert .REQ to CSR or PEM. To verify the internal attributes and domain names before submission, convert the file to plain TXT to extract the decoded, human-readable data. Drop your file here to analyze, decode, and convert it securely right in your browser.
Convert.Guru analyzes your REQ file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CER, KEY, REQW, XML, CSR, REC, BIN, PDF, PEM, P7B and DER files.
If you want to convert REQ file to CSR, PEM, TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD or CRDOWNLOAD, you can use OpenSSL or similar software from the "SSL/TLS Certificate Request" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to REQ, try OpenSSL or another comparable tool in the "SSL/TLS Certificate Request" 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 REQ converter.