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CRD TXT
File conversion

Convert CRD to TXT

Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Jul 19, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert CRD to TXT?
Yes - CRD converts to TXT.

Run crd-reader.exe yourfile.crd > output.txt in Command Prompt to redirect the card contents to a text file. For a small number of cards, opening the .crd in the 32-bit CARDFILE.EXE and copy-pasting into Notepad works equally well.

Also to TXT: RTF · KKSRC · HVE

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Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Nov 2026

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Why convert CRD to TXT?

Windows Cardfile .crd is a binary format shipped from Windows 1.0 (1985) through Windows 3.x that almost no modern software reads. Extracting the content to .TXT gives you the card text in a format readable in any editor and is also the first step before pasting data into a spreadsheet or contact manager.

How to convert CRD to TXT

CRD Reader FREE

Download CRD Reader from eakondratiev.github.io/crd-reader.htm and run crd-reader.exe yourfile.crd > output.txt; the file will contain each card's title and body text.

CARDFILE.EXE FREE

Launch the 32-bit Windows 95/NT build of CARDFILE.EXE (runs on Windows 10/11), open the .crd via File > Open, then copy text from each card and paste into Notepad, saving as .txt.

About these formats

.CRD Windows Cardfile Database

A CRD file is a Windows Cardfile database - an address or index-card file created by the Cardfile applet that shipped with Windows 1.0 through 3.x. To open one on Windows 10 or 11, run the…

Open .CRD details →
.TXT Plain Text File

A TXT file is plain, unformatted text - the simplest document format on any computer. Double-click it: Windows opens it in Notepad, macOS in TextEdit, Linux in gedit. Nothing to install. If…

Open .TXT details →

Quality & what to watch

  • All text from the index lines and card bodies is extracted; embedded bitmaps or OLE objects in older cards are silently dropped.
  • A genuine Cardfile .crd starts with MGC (Windows 3.x) or RRG bytes; CRD Reader handles both variants.
  • No browser-based converter handles this format; the binary structure is too obscure for mainstream web tools.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an online converter for CRD to TXT?
No - the Cardfile binary format is not supported by any mainstream online converter.
Will I lose anything converting CRD to plain text?
Card text is fully preserved; embedded bitmaps or OLE objects (rare) cannot be represented in plain text and are dropped.
Does CARDFILE.EXE run on Windows 10/11?
The 32-bit Windows 95/NT build does; the 16-bit Windows 3.x version does not run on 64-bit Windows.