Extract text from PGP Share and ScreenHunter files (SHF)
To convert SHF files to another format, you need ScreenHunter or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "PGP Share & ScreenHunter File" file type, you need software like ScreenHunter or a similar tool.
The .SHF file extension is most commonly associated with two distinct, highly specialized formats: a proprietary vector graphics file created by ScreenHunter and a Pretty Good Privacy Share file. ScreenHunter uses the .SHF format to save screenshots alongside editable vector objects, such as text boxes, arrows, and highlights. Alternatively, in the realm of cryptography, PGP Share files are used by Symantec Encryption Desktop to store fragments of a private cryptographic key using a secret-sharing algorithm. This allows an organization to require multiple administrators to combine their .SHF files to reconstruct a master key.
The primary disadvantage of the .SHF format is its strict, closed-ecosystem nature. ScreenHunter .SHF files are proprietary; they cannot be opened natively by web browsers, macOS, or standard image viewers. If you share this file with a colleague, they will be unable to view the screenshot unless they also purchase and install ScreenHunter. Furthermore, compatibility is notoriously rigid - an .SHF file saved in a 64-bit version of ScreenHunter cannot even be opened in a 32-bit version. On the security side, PGP Share files are heavily encrypted binary fragments, making them entirely unreadable and useless without the matching key shares and the original encryption software.
If you are trying to share a ScreenHunter capture, the best target formats are PNG (for lossless web graphics), JPG (for smaller file sizes), or PDF (for document integration). However, converting an .SHF file to a standard raster format means you will permanently lose the ability to edit the vector overlays.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because its internal structure is proprietary and not publicly documented. Because it lacks an open specification, standard online converters fail to parse the vector instructions or cryptographic data. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SHF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JPEG, AEXPK, BEXPK and PRVKR files.
If you want to convert SHF file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use ScreenHunter or similar software from the "Vector Graphics & Key Sharing" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to SHF, try ScreenHunter or another comparable tool in the "Vector Graphics & Key Sharing" 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 SHF converter.