Extract text from UUDecoded files (UUD)
To convert UUD Decoded files to another format, you need UUDeview or other Encoded software.
To convert other file formats to the "UUDecoded File" file type, you need software like UUDeview or a similar tool.
A .uud file is a raw binary file that has been successfully decoded from a UUEncoded text archive, but was saved to disk without its proper file extension. UUEncoding was a popular Unix utility heavily used in the early days of the internet to transfer binary data (like images, archives, or software executables) over text-only networks such as Usenet newsgroups or basic email systems.
Historically, command-line utilities like UUDeview or archivers like WinZip are used to extract these files. However, when older decoding software fails to properly read the original filename string embedded inside the archive's header, it simply dumps the raw binary data onto your drive and appends a generic .uud extension.
The critical disadvantage of a .uud file is that your operating system has no idea what application is required to open it. Because it lacks a standard, recognizable extension like JPG, ZIP, or PDF, double-clicking the file will trigger a system error or an "Open With" prompt. You cannot natively view its contents without relying on specialized hex viewers to guess the format.
To resolve this, you do not actually need to "convert" a .uud file in the traditional sense - you must identify its true internal format. Standard online converters fail completely here because they rely strictly on the file extension to guess the format. Once our engine detects the underlying format, we can safely restore its proper extension or convert it into a modern, widely supported format.
Convert.Guru analyzes your UUD file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert UUD file to BASE64, HEX, BIN, ENC, CRYPT, AES, DES, RSA, PGP, GPG, ASC or KEY, you can use UUDeview or similar software from the "Decoded Binary Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert CER, BIN, PEM, DER, KEY, P7S, PFX, ENC, P12, BASE64, P7B or HEX files to UUD, try UUDeview or another comparable tool in the "Decoded Binary Data 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 UUD converter.