Extract text from Segmented Hyper-Graphics files (SHG)
To convert SHG graphics files to another format, you need Microsoft WinHelp or other Raster Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Hyper-Graphic Image" file type, you need software like Microsoft WinHelp or a similar tool.
The .shg file extension primarily represents a Segmented Hyper-Graphic file originally developed by Microsoft. It was utilized in legacy Windows Help (WinHelp) files to store bitmapped images layered with clickable "hotspots" that acted as hyperlinks. Additionally, .shg is used as a proprietary graphic and animation format in the Trilobyte Groovie game engine, and as an interface graphic in Siemens SIMATIC HMI industrial systems.
The main disadvantage of the .shg format is severe obsolescence and strict proprietary lock-in. Microsoft deprecated WinHelp formats over a decade ago. Consequently, .shg files are unsupported by modern web browsers, standard image viewers, and mainstream graphic editors. Users face significant frustration because accessing the visual content requires ancient help authoring tools (like Help Workshop) or extremely specific, expensive industrial software (such as Siemens automation platforms).
If you simply need the visual data, converting .shg files to PNG, JPG, or BMP is the best workaround. Be aware that converting to a standard raster format will completely discard the interactive hotspot mapping data and hyperlinks, preserving only the flat pixel image.
Why do standard online converters fail to process these files? Because the format relies on proprietary legacy encoding that combines standard bitmap data with undocumented metadata arrays. Just drag and drop your file onto convert.guru to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Even if direct conversion fails due to the closed nature of the Siemens or Trilobyte variants, our analyzer can inspect the file structure to detect embedded standard images or readable text blocks.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SHG file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted HLP files.
If you want to convert SHG file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use Microsoft WinHelp or similar software from the "Legacy Help & Game Graphics" 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 SHG, try Microsoft WinHelp or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Help & Game Graphics" 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 SHG converter.