STRINGS Converter

Extract text from STRINGS files


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

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

Convert STRINGS to another file type

To convert your STRINGS file to another format, you need Xcode or other Developer software.

  • STRINGS to JSON
  • STRINGS to TXT
  • STRINGS to RTF
  • STRINGS to DOC
  • STRINGS to DOCX
  • STRINGS to ODT
  • STRINGS to PAGES
  • STRINGS to TEX
  • STRINGS to LATEX
  • STRINGS to MD
  • STRINGS to MARKDOWN
  • STRINGS to LOG

Convert a file to STRINGS

To convert other file formats to the "Localization Data File" file type, you need software like Xcode or a similar tool.

  • PDF to STRINGS
  • DOC to STRINGS
  • ASC to STRINGS
  • TODO to STRINGS
  • NFO to STRINGS
  • MEMO to STRINGS
  • README to STRINGS
  • DOCX to STRINGS
  • JPG to STRINGS
  • TXT to STRINGS
  • NOTE to STRINGS
  • RTF to STRINGS

About STRINGS files

The .strings file extension is the standard format used by Apple to handle localization for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS applications. Ideally, these files contain simple key-value pairs that map internal identifiers to user-facing text for specific languages. However, handling .strings files outside of the Xcode development environment presents significant challenges.

A major issue is that .strings files often exist as binary property lists rather than plain text, rendering them unreadable in standard text editors like Notepad++ or Sublime Text without prior conversion. Even when they are text-based, they frequently utilize UTF-16 encoding, which can cause display errors or corruption if opened in editors expecting UTF-8. Furthermore, the strict syntax - requiring specific quoting and terminating semicolons - means even a single missing character can break the file, while the format itself is incompatible with Android development or web backends.

To bridge the gap between developers and translation teams, users typically need to convert these files. For integration with web applications or cross-platform frameworks like React Native, converting to JSON is the industry standard. For sharing with non-technical translators who prefer spreadsheet software, converting to CSV or XLSX allows for easy editing in Microsoft Excel. For cross-platform mobile development (porting iOS to Android), converting .strings to Android's XML resource format is essential.

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

Users also converted PLIST, AUDIO, PKPASS, NUMBERS, JSON, DMG, ELF, MOM, SQL, ZIP, TXT, CSV and JPG files.



The STRINGS 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 STRINGS converter.