Extract text from SCF files
To convert your SCF file to another format, you need SnapGene or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Bioinformatics Trace File" file type, you need software like SnapGene or a similar tool.
The .SCF file extension is most predominantly associated with the Standard Chromatogram Format used in DNA sequencing. These binary files store the raw data output from automated DNA sequencers, containing the color-coded peak traces (chromatograms) and confidence values for each base (A, C, G, T).
While essential for bioinformatics, .SCF files present a major drawback: they are essentially "locked" data containers. You cannot open them in standard office software like Microsoft Excel or text editors. To view the sequence or analyze the trace quality, you typically need specialized, often expensive, software like SnapGene or legacy tools like Chromas. This proprietary lock-in makes sharing data with colleagues or publishing results difficult. For analysis, the best workflow is converting .SCF to FASTA or SEQ (text-based sequence formats). For documentation, converting the visual trace to PDF or PNG ensures the chromatogram can be viewed without specialized viewers.
A secondary, but distinct, use of the .SCF extension is the Windows Shell Command File (e.g., the classic "Show Desktop.scf"). These are simple text files acting as commands for Microsoft Windows. Users frequently face difficulties here when trying to edit the command; double-clicking executes it instead of opening it. Converting these to TXT allows for safe auditing of the script contents.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SCF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted RASCUNHO, XCF, SFC, JPG, ABI, AB1, FASTA, PDF, LOG, PRX, CAB, MCF and SCM files.
If you want to convert SCF file to MCF, SCM, NM3, CCF, BBL, SYS, DLL, EXE, DRV, VXD, 386 or COM, you can use SnapGene or similar software from the "DNA Sequencing Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MSI, EXE, REG, MST, LNK, CAB, CAT, DRV, INF, SYS, MSU or DLL files to SCF, try SnapGene or another comparable tool in the "DNA Sequencing Data" 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 SCF converter.