Extract text from text message backups (SMS)
To convert SMS message backups to another format, you need SMS Backup & Restore or other Backup software.
To convert other file formats to the "Mobile Data Archive" file type, you need software like SMS Backup & Restore or a similar tool.
The .sms file extension is primarily used for SMS and MMS text message backups. These files are typically generated by Android apps like SMS Backup & Restore, or legacy desktop software like Nokia PC Suite and Sony Ericsson PC Suite. Depending on the generating software, the internal structure is often a ZIP archive containing XML or JSON data. Another common but completely unrelated use for the .sms extension is a Sega Master System game ROM used by retro console emulators.
The main disadvantage of an .sms backup file is its lack of desktop compatibility. Users cannot natively open these files on Windows or macOS to read their messages without installing a specific legacy suite or transferring the file back to a mobile device. If the file is stored as a raw JSON or XML database, it is highly frustrating for non-technical users to read the conversation threads, as the human-readable text is buried in markup code and timestamps.
To make your text messages readable, convert the .sms file to PDF for printing, legal submission, or long-term archiving. For data analysis or spreadsheet viewing, convert it to CSV. If you just need plain text, convert to TXT. Drag and drop your .sms file to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SMS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted XML, TXT, MMS, SMSBACKUP, VMG, DB, ZIP, JPG, IB, ROM, VMSG, DAT and PDF files.
If you want to convert SMS file to RCS, PDF, TEXT, DATA, EMAIL, MMS, TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT or PAGES, you can use SMS Backup & Restore or similar software from the "SMS Text Message Backup" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to SMS, try SMS Backup & Restore or another comparable tool in the "SMS Text Message Backup" 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 SMS converter.