Extract text from WhereIsIt catalogs (WC)
To convert WC catalogs to another format, you need WhereIsIt? or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "WhereIsIt Catalog File" file type, you need software like WhereIsIt? or a similar tool.
A .WC file is primarily a proprietary disk catalog created by WhereIsIt?, a legacy Windows utility used to index offline media like CDs, DVDs, and external hard drives. These files act as a searchable database, storing file paths, names, and metadata without requiring the original disk to be present. A secondary use is as a configuration file for the Valve Hammer Editor, storing compilation profiles for Source engine game maps.
The major disadvantage of the .WC format is that it is a closed, proprietary binary database completely locked into the WhereIsIt? ecosystem. It requires the original software, which is no longer actively maintained. These files are not supported by modern web browsers, contemporary asset management systems, or macOS and Linux. If you do not have the software, your detailed file indexes are essentially trapped. Because of this aggressive vendor lock-in, standard online converters fail to parse the database natively.
To future-proof your data, you should convert these catalogs to open targets like CSV, XLSX, or XML. These formats allow you to open your lists in standard spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel. However, exporting to a flat file means you will inevitably lose proprietary elements like embedded thumbnails, custom categories, or specific UI layouts.
Because the binary structure is undocumented, extracting the data seamlessly usually requires the original software. However, convert.guru provides a pragmatic solution. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Our analyzer will inspect the binary data; if it detects readable text strings or embedded records, it will extract them for you, offering a reliable workaround when the original app is unavailable.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WC file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PSI, CFM and PA files.
If you want to convert WC file to PSI, CFM, PA, INI, CFG, CONF, CONFIG, JSON, XML, YAML, YML or TOML, you can use WhereIsIt? or similar software from the "Disk Catalog Database" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert ZSHRC, CONF, RCFILE, GITCONFIG, RC, PLIST, BASHRC, CONFIG, PROFILE, INI, PREFS or CFG files to WC, try WhereIsIt? or another comparable tool in the "Disk Catalog 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 WC converter.