Extract text from Grapher settings files (SBGF)
To convert SBGF settings files to another format, you need Grapher or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Graph Plotting Settings" file type, you need software like Grapher or a similar tool.
The .SBGF file format functions as a Grapher Settings File. It is used to save the exact visual state of a graph, including X/Y data coordinates, axis labels, line thicknesses, and background colors, allowing users to pause and resume their data plotting sessions.
Historically, these files were generated by Grapher, an independent, PHP-based online graph plotting tool developed by Subhash Bose. Because the software is highly specific, .SBGF files are virtually unknown outside of this niche application.
The primary disadvantage of the .SBGF format is its extreme obscurity and proprietary nature. You cannot open it natively on any modern operating system, and standard data visualization platforms like Tableau or Microsoft Excel will completely reject the file. If you attempt to share an .SBGF file, the recipient will be entirely unable to view the graph or the underlying data without tracking down the original, outdated web tool.
To make the locked data usable, you must extract the raw data points and convert the file into standard formats like CSV, TXT, or JSON. While extracting the coordinates is highly practical, be aware that converting to plain text will permanently strip away the visual settings (like custom colors and graph boundaries). To preserve the visual graph itself, it would need to be re-rendered and exported as a PNG or PDF.
Because this format is tied to a specific, legacy plotter, standard online converters fail to process it. Only the original software can natively read the visual instructions. If our analysis detects the embedded text coordinates, data extraction may still be possible, saving you from a frustrating software hunt.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SBGF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted GRAPHML, GRAPH and EDGES files.
If you want to convert SBGF file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use Grapher or similar software from the "Graph Configuration Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to SBGF, try Grapher or another comparable tool in the "Graph Configuration 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 SBGF converter.