Extract text from TOOL files
To convert your TOOL file to another format, you need Vectric Aspire or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "CNC Manufacturing Data" file type, you need software like Vectric Aspire or a similar tool.
The .TOOL extension serves two distinct, incompatible purposes that often confuse users. The most common use (approx. 53%) is a CNC Tool Database created by Vectric software like VCarve Pro, Aspire, and Cut2D. These files store critical manufacturing definitions - geometry, feed rates, spindle speeds, and pass depths - for CNC bits. The main friction point here is interoperability; a .TOOL file is typically meant only for Vectric's ecosystem. Users looking to migrate to Autodesk Fusion 360 or maintain a platform-agnostic backup often find themselves locked out of their own data. Converting these databases to CSV or XLSX allows for viewing in Microsoft Excel, while converting to generic XML or JSON (if supported by the target CAM software) can facilitate data migration.
The second common variant (approx. 16%) is a macOS Terminal Script. Functionally identical to a SH or BASH file, the .TOOL extension is a legacy convention used by Apple's Finder to treat the file as a clickable executable rather than a text document. The annoyance for users - especially those on Windows or Linux - is that the file often appears as an unrecognized binary or executes immediately upon opening, preventing editing. For cross-platform compatibility or safe inspection, the best workflow is to convert (or simply rename) these files to TXT for editing or SH for standard execution.
Convert.Guru analyzes your TOOL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CRV3D, 3VS and VTK files.
If you want to convert TOOL file to JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO, RS or SWIFT, you can use Vectric Aspire or similar software from the "CNC Tool Database" 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 TOOL, try Vectric Aspire or another comparable tool in the "CNC Tool Database" 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 TOOL converter.