Extract text from WordPress widget export files (WIE)
To convert WIE widget files to another format, you need Widget Importer & Exporter or other Plugin software.
To convert other file formats to the "WordPress Widget Export File" file type, you need software like Widget Importer & Exporter or a similar tool.
The .WIE file extension is a proprietary export format generated by the Widget Importer & Exporter plugin for WordPress websites. It stores serialized widget configurations, including titles, text, embedded HTML, and specific sidebar placement rules.
The primary disadvantage of the .WIE format is its strict reliance on the WordPress ecosystem. A .WIE file is completely useless without a live WordPress installation and the exact same plugin activated. Furthermore, because it hardcodes widget placements to specific theme sidebar IDs, importing a .WIE file into a different theme often results in broken layouts or hidden widgets. The custom extension also prevents standard text editors from recognizing the file automatically.
Since the underlying data structure is standard JSON, the best conversion targets are JSON or TXT. Converting to these formats allows you to extract raw HTML, custom text, or configuration data without needing a web server.
This file format is difficult to open or convert using standard online tools because they do not recognize the niche extension. Often, only the original plugin can properly map the exported data to a new database. However, convert.guru can bypass this limitation. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view the internal text, and convert it when possible. Because our analysis detects the supported embedded JSON format, viewing or extracting the raw text content is fast and straightforward.
Convert.Guru analyzes your WIE file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TXT, GADGET, WDGT and 8BP files.
If you want to convert WIE file to DLL, SO, DYLIB, BUNDLE, PLUGIN, XPI, CRX, SAFARIEXTZ, APPEX, KEXT, SYS or DRV, you can use Widget Importer & Exporter or similar software from the "WordPress Widget Backup Transfer" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LV2, DYLIB, VST, AAX, DRV, TDE, LADSPA, BUNDLE, AU, DLL, RTAS or SO files to WIE, try Widget Importer & Exporter or another comparable tool in the "WordPress Widget Backup Transfer" 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 WIE converter.