Extract text from ZSNES skins (ZRS)
To convert ZRS skins to another format, you need ZSNES or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Emulator Theme File" file type, you need software like ZSNES or a similar tool.
A .ZRS file is primarily a proprietary skin file used by ZSNES, a legacy Super Nintendo (SNES) emulator written in x86 assembly. These files function as graphical themes, allowing users to customize the emulator's dated GUI (Graphical User Interface).
The core friction users encounter with .ZRS files is that they are technically archives masquerading as a unique format. Internally, a .ZRS is often just a GZIP compressed container holding raw bitmap data and configuration text. Because the extension is non-standard, operating systems like Windows or macOS do not know how to handle them, and standard image viewers like Adobe Photoshop cannot open them directly.
For users looking to access the graphics inside - perhaps to edit a retro theme or view the pixel art - the most pragmatic conversion workflow is to treat the file as an archive. Converting or renaming .ZRS to ZIP or GZ allows you to extract the contents. Once extracted, the internal images (often BMP or PCX) can be easily converted to modern PNG or JPG formats for web use or archiving. For use within the emulator, the file must remain in the .ZRS format.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ZRS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted HEARTSSAVE-MS, PVG, YBK and LRS files.
If you want to convert ZRS file to LRS, you can use ZSNES or similar software from the "Emulator Interface Skin" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to ZRS, try ZSNES or another comparable tool in the "Emulator Interface Skin" 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 ZRS converter.