SKW Converter

Extract text from Sidekick and CogSketch files (SKW)


Drop or upload your .SKW file
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How to extract text from your SKW file

  1. Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your SKW file.
  2. You’ll see a preview, if available.
  3. Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.

Convert SKW to another file type

To convert SKW files to another format, you need Starfish Sidekick or other Data software.

Convert a file to SKW

To convert other file formats to the "Scheduling Program Data File" file type, you need software like Starfish Sidekick or a similar tool.


About SKW files

An .SKW file is a legacy scheduling and calendar data file primarily utilized by Starfish Sidekick for Windows, a once-popular Personal Information Manager (PIM) from the 1990s. Alternatively, this extension is used as a sketch understanding data file by CogSketch, an AI-based drawing analysis tool, or by obscure calendar apps like Byter BITS Schedule It! and YWY-USA Calendar. These proprietary formats pose massive challenges for modern users. Sidekick is obsolete, 16-bit or early 32-bit software that absolutely refuses to run natively on modern 64-bit operating systems. This forces users to configure virtual machines or source ancient hardware simply to view their own historical appointments, contact lists, and notes. The format itself requires proprietary software to access, creating a frustrating lock-in effect where data becomes inaccessible as the original software ages out of compatibility. The ideal target formats for an .SKW scheduler file are CSV (Comma Separated Values) or ICS (iCalendar), as these can be imported seamlessly into modern platforms like Google Calendar or Outlook. For CogSketch files, exporting to a vector format like SVG or raster image like PNG is preferred. However, because .SKW files use proprietary binary or specific database structures, translating the files directly often results in stripped metadata, broken recurring events, or missing custom fields. These are closed, undocumented formats, which is why standard online converters completely fail to process them. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. Despite these harsh limitations, convert.guru can help. Just drag and drop your .SKW file to identify its exact format signature. We will inspect the internal structure, extract any readable plain text, and identify the embedded database headers. If our analysis detects a supported underlying format, viewing your lost calendar strings or partial conversion may still be possible without a legacy emulator.

Convert.Guru analyzes your SKW file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.

Users also converted SXW and SKWRITE files.


FAQ

If you want to convert SKW file to , you can use Starfish Sidekick or similar software from the "Scheduler and Sketch Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….

To convert files to SKW, try Starfish Sidekick or another comparable tool in the "Scheduler and Sketch Data" category.



The SKW 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 SKW converter.