Extract text from Video game music files (VGM)
To convert VGM Music files to another format, you need VGMPlay or other Audio software.
To convert other file formats to the "Video Game Music File" file type, you need software like VGMPlay or a similar tool.
A .VGM file is a Video Game Music log file. Instead of storing sampled audio waveforms, it records the exact stream of commands sent to classic video game sound chips (such as the Yamaha YM2612 or SN76489). This format is heavily used by the retro gaming community to preserve and listen to soundtracks from older consoles, including the Sega Genesis and AlphaDream Nintendo 3DS games.
To play a .VGM file natively, you need an emulator-based player like VGMPlay or a plugin-equipped media player like foobar2000. You can learn more about the technical specifications of the format on Wikipedia.
The primary disadvantage of the .VGM format is its total lack of mainstream compatibility. Because it is a hardware data log and not an audio file, it cannot be played on standard smartphones, web browsers, or default media players. Users who want to listen to these soundtracks on modern devices or share them online must convert them.
The best target formats for conversion are MP3, WAV, or FLAC. Converting to these formats transforms the hardware instructions into universal audio waveforms. However, standard audio converters usually fail to process .VGM files because they do not contain standard audio data. Conversion requires specialized software that actively emulates the original sound chips and records the output.
Because this format relies on exact chip emulation, it is difficult for general online tools to handle. However, you can drag and drop your .VGM file into convert.guru to identify the format, view its internal metadata (such as track title, game name, and system), and convert it to standard audio when supported.
Convert.Guru analyzes your VGM file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted VGZ, MP3, WAV, VGM 2, NSF, MID, ZIP, GZ, DMF, TXT, GEN, ADX and VMG files.
If you want to convert VGM file to MP3, MIDI, WAV, NSF, DMF, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF or OPUS, you can use VGMPlay or similar software from the "Sound Chip Command Logging" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to VGM, try VGMPlay or another comparable tool in the "Sound Chip Command Logging" 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 VGM converter.