Extract text from Windows app resource files (RESW)
To convert RESW Resource files to another format, you need Microsoft Visual Studio or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Resource Localization File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Visual Studio or a similar tool.
The .RESW file is an XML-based Windows app resource file primarily used in the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) to store localized string resources. Developers use these files within Microsoft Visual Studio to manage text strings for different languages, allowing applications to support multiple regions seamlessly.
The core disadvantage of the .RESW format is its proprietary XML schema. While it is technically plain text, the specific node structure is restricted to the Microsoft ecosystem. This creates significant bottlenecks during localization workflows. Translators generally use Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools that do not natively parse UWP resource structures, leading to errors or skipped translations.
To bridge this gap, you must convert .RESW files into standardized localization formats like CSV, JSON, or XLIFF. Converting to CSV extracts the string names and values into a simple table, though you may lose complex metadata or comments embedded in the original XML.
Because this format relies on a strict, application-specific schema, traditional file converters often corrupt the hierarchy or fail to extract the localized strings properly.
Convert.Guru analyzes your RESW file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert RESW file to JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO, RS or SWIFT, you can use Microsoft Visual Studio or similar software from the "Software Localization Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to RESW, try Microsoft Visual Studio or another comparable tool in the "Software Localization Data 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 RESW converter.