Extract text from MSBuild configuration files (TARGETS)
To convert TARGETS configuration files to another format, you need Microsoft MSBuild or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "MSBuild Build Script" file type, you need software like Microsoft MSBuild or a similar tool.
The .TARGETS file is an XML-formatted text document used by the Microsoft Build Engine (MSBuild). It contains the rules, targets, and build instructions required to compile, test, and deploy software projects within Microsoft Visual Studio. By isolating reusable build tasks into a .TARGETS file, developers can easily share compilation logic across multiple application environments.
Because these files are strictly technical scripts designed for CI/CD pipelines and compilers, they contain no visual layout or rich media elements. The main disadvantage for non-developers is that the file is essentially raw code, requiring a solid understanding of the MSBuild XML schema to interpret.
If you need to share a .TARGETS file outside of a development environment, the best approach is to convert it to standard XML or TXT. Attempting to convert it into heavily formatted documents like PDF or DOCX is generally not recommended, as standard document converters usually fail to process the developer-centric structure or ruin the code indentation.
This file format is difficult to open or convert in traditional office workflows because it is tightly integrated into the Microsoft build ecosystem. Often, only a dedicated IDE or code editor can properly read or execute the data. However, just drag and drop your file onto convert.guru to identify the format, inspect the file, and show its internal text content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion to safer text-based formats may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your TARGETS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted JPG, TLS, ICA and MEW files.
If you want to convert TARGETS file to JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO, RS or SWIFT, you can use Microsoft MSBuild or similar software from the "Build Automation Scripts" 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 TARGETS, try Microsoft MSBuild or another comparable tool in the "Build Automation Scripts" 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 TARGETS converter.