Extract text from Shared server lists (SSLF)
To convert SSLF Server lists to another format, you need HLSW or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Server Configuration List" file type, you need software like HLSW or a similar tool.
The .SSLF file extension represents an HLSW Shared Server List File, primarily utilized by the legacy game server administration utility HLSW. These files store aggregated lists of multiplayer game servers, containing critical connection data such as IP addresses, port numbers, server names, and occasionally encrypted rcon (remote control) passwords. They were widely shared among server administrators managing GoldSrc and Source engine games like Counter-Strike.
The core disadvantage of the .SSLF format is its closed, proprietary architecture. Because HLSW is essentially abandonware, relying on this legacy software creates severe compatibility bottlenecks. Modern gamers and system administrators use contemporary tools and web interfaces, meaning .SSLF files are obsolete and cannot be parsed correctly by modern server browsers or standard text editors. Users are locked out of their own server lists without the original application.
To bypass these limitations, users need to convert .SSLF files to TXT, CSV, or XML formats. Converting to these standard formats allows the IP and port data to be imported into modern databases, spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, or custom scripts, though native HLSW application settings will be lost in the process.
This file format is difficult to open or convert because standard online converters fail to process its proprietary binary and legacy text structures. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data natively.
Convert.Guru analyzes your SSLF file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert SSLF file to , you can use HLSW or similar software from the "Game Server List Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to SSLF, try HLSW or another comparable tool in the "Game Server List Storage" 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 SSLF converter.