Extract text from Extended Events files (XEL)
To convert XEL event files to another format, you need Microsoft SQL Server or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Database Trace Log" file type, you need software like Microsoft SQL Server or a similar tool.
A .XEL file is primarily an Extended Events trace log generated by Microsoft SQL Server. It records system and database events for performance tuning, diagnostics, and troubleshooting. A small percentage of .XEL files are encrypted anti-cheat modules used by PC games running XIGNCODE3, or label designs created with legacy Xel-Lent software.
The primary disadvantage of the .XEL database log is its proprietary binary structure. You cannot open it directly in a standard text editor. Reading the file requires an active SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) instance and specific T-SQL queries using the sys.fn_xe_file_target_read_file function. This makes sharing log data with external developers or non-database administrators highly frustrating, as they cannot open the file natively. Furthermore, poorly configured event sessions can cause these files to exceed hundreds of megabytes, making them difficult to transfer.
Converting .XEL to CSV or XML is the best workaround. This extracts the tabular event data into a universal format that can be easily analyzed in Microsoft Excel or standard log viewers. However, standard online converters often fail to process .XEL files because it is a closed, proprietary format heavily tied to Microsoft's internal ecosystem. Our tool will analyze the specific .XEL variant, inspect the internal file headers, and show readable text. If our analysis detects supported underlying data, partial viewing or extraction may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your XEL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted XLSX, LDF, TRN and DSV files.
If you want to convert XEL file to MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV, WEBM, MKV, M4V, 3GP, OGV, ASF or RM, you can use Microsoft SQL Server or similar software from the "Database Trace Logging" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MTS, MOV, RMVB, DIVX, RM, H264, TS, WMV, VOB, MP4, XVID or AVI files to XEL, try Microsoft SQL Server or another comparable tool in the "Database Trace 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 XEL converter.