Extract text from RetroForth source files (RETRO)
To convert RETRO source files to another format, you need RetroForth or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "Source Code File" file type, you need software like RetroForth or a similar tool.
A .retro file stores source code written in RetroForth, a modern, clean, and concatenative dialect of the Forth programming language. Developers use these files to write scripts and applications that are typically executed on the lightweight Ngaro Virtual Machine.
You can open a .retro file using the official RetroForth environment or any standard text editor like Visual Studio Code or Notepad++.
Because RetroForth is a highly niche language, sharing .retro files with non-developers or attempting to preview them in standard web browsers often fails. Operating systems do not natively recognize the extension, leading to generic unknown file errors. The lack of built-in syntax highlighting in most standard word processors also makes reviewing the raw code annoying.
To share this code with colleagues or clients, we recommend converting the .retro file to TXT, MD (Markdown), or PDF. Converting to PDF locks the formatting for easy printing and cross-platform reading, while TXT ensures universal compatibility without triggering security warnings associated with executable scripts.
Because it is a niche developer format, mainstream automated conversion tools often reject the .retro extension outright. Our analyzer safely reads the underlying text so you do not need to install a specialized virtual machine just to read the script.
Convert.Guru analyzes your RETRO file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JPG files.
If you want to convert RETRO file to TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD, LOCK or PID, you can use RetroForth or similar software from the "Forth Source Code Storage" 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 RETRO, try RetroForth or another comparable tool in the "Forth Source Code 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 RETRO converter.