Extract text from WinFax archives (WFA)
To convert WFA archives to another format, you need WinFax PRO or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Archive & Backup File" file type, you need software like WinFax PRO or a similar tool.
A .WFA file primarily functions as a proprietary game asset archive used by WildTangent and Wildfire Studios (such as in the game Tumblebugs). Alternatively, it is used as a fax and data backup file by legacy Symantec WinFax PRO software, utilizing the Microsoft Compound format. In enterprise environments, .WFA files can also represent Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transaction files formatted using the UN/EDIFACT or ANSI ASC X12 standards, or act as XML workflow task data for Mincom MIMS software.
The primary disadvantage of the .WFA format is its highly fragmented and proprietary nature. Because multiple unrelated software applications use the identical file extension, users and operating systems often struggle to identify the correct program needed to open the file. Furthermore, legacy software like WinFax PRO is entirely obsolete and incompatible with modern 64-bit systems. Game asset archives are typically heavily compressed and locked down to prevent tampering, meaning standard extraction utilities will fail to open them. EDI and XML variants are technically plain text but contain cryptic syntax that is unreadable without specialized database parsers like EDI Notepad.
If your .WFA is an EDI or XML file, you should convert it to standard data targets like XML, CSV, or JSON for modern database integration. WinFax backups should ideally be extracted to standard PDF or TIFF images to preserve the visual fax contents. However, extracting game archive .WFA files to PNG or WAV media assets often results in lost metadata or broken internal folder structures.
Converting a .WFA file is notoriously difficult because it is usually a closed, proprietary format tied to legacy or niche software. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. Standard online converters fail to process it because they cannot guess which of the disparate formats the file actually uses. Just drag and drop your file onto convert.guru to identify the true format, view its contents, and convert it when possible. Even if full conversion is blocked by proprietary encryption, our analysis engine can detect the underlying Microsoft Compound or XML structure and expose hidden text or embedded data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WFA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
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If you want to convert WFA file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use WinFax PRO or similar software from the "Game Archive & Fax Backup" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to WFA, try WinFax PRO or another comparable tool in the "Game Archive & Fax Backup" 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 WFA converter.