Extract text from shared object files (SO)
To convert SO shared objects to another format, you need Linux Kernel or other Executable software.
To convert other file formats to the "ELF Shared Library" file type, you need software like Linux Kernel or a similar tool.
A .so file is a Shared Object library, primarily formatted as an Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) binary. These files contain compiled executable code and data that multiple applications can load and use simultaneously on Linux and Android operating systems. Similar to DLL files on Windows or DYLIB files on macOS, they reduce memory usage by sharing common routines across the system.
While highly efficient for operating systems, .so files present significant challenges for average users. Because they are compiled machine code, they are completely opaque and proprietary to their target architecture (e.g., ARM or x86). You cannot open them in a text editor - doing so only reveals garbled binary characters. They are strictly platform-dependent, meaning a Linux .so library will not natively function on Windows. Furthermore, reverse-engineering these binaries requires specialized decompilers like Ghidra or IDA Pro, which have steep learning curves. In specific edge cases, such as Android game modding, users often encounter fake .so files that are actually disguised ZIP archives designed to bypass basic file extension filters.
You cannot cleanly "convert" a compiled binary into another operating system's binary without the original source code. However, you can extract its underlying data. For reverse engineering, decompile your .so file to Assembly (ASM) or C code. If you suspect the file is an Android game modification archive, convert it to ZIP to access its internal assets. Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SO file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted LIB, ZIP, ELF, DLL, TEXT, ARM, RSA, 6, DEX, TXT, APK, ARSC and PROPERTIES files.
If you want to convert SO file to A, DLL, DYLIB, JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP or RB, you can use Linux Kernel or similar software from the "Shared Library Executable Code" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to SO, try Linux Kernel or another comparable tool in the "Shared Library Executable Code" 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 SO converter.