Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your SILK file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert SILK to another file type
To convert SILK audio messages to another format, you need Skype or other Audio software.
Convert a file to SILK
To convert other file formats to the "Compressed Audio Codec" file type, you need software like Skype or a similar tool.
About SILK files
The .silk file is predominantly an audio file encoded using the SILK audio compression format. It was originally developed by Skype Limited for real-time voice over IP (VoIP) communication. It is highly optimized for human speech and adjusts its bitrate dynamically based on network conditions. You will often encounter these files when extracting voice messages from chat applications like WeChat or Skype. To play these files natively, users traditionally need specialized decoders like SilkyPlayer, as detailed on the SILK Wikipedia page. A smaller percentage of .silk files belong to the CERT SiLK analysis suite, where they store network flow data and traffic traces for security analysis. The main disadvantage of the .silk audio format is its proprietary nature and severe lack of native support. You cannot open a .silk file in standard media players like VLC, Windows Media Player, or web browsers without extra command-line tools or specific plugins. The files require a specialized decoder to convert the variable bitrate payload back into raw PCM audio. To make these audio messages playable, you must convert them to standard formats like .MP3, .WAV, or .OGG. Converting to .WAV preserves the exact decoded quality, while .MP3 is best for sharing across devices. Audio encoded with SILK is deeply tied to the application that created it, making it exceptionally difficult to open. Sometimes, especially with WeChat, the files lack standard headers, causing standard online converters to fail completely. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SILK file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert SILK file to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use Skype or similar software from the "Voice Message Audio Compression" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to SILK, try Skype or another comparable tool in the "Voice Message Audio Compression" category.
The SILK Converter Story
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 SILK converter.