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ETL XML
File conversion

Convert ETL to XML

Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Aug 22, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert ETL to XML?
Yes - ETL converts to XML.

Run tracerpt yourfile.etl in an elevated Command Prompt; it writes dumpfile.xml to the current folder with no install required. The XML can be very large for long traces - even a few seconds of tracing can produce hundreds of thousands of event records.

Also to XML: IEPD · XHTML · TSI

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Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Oct 2026

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Why convert ETL to XML?

ETL files are binary and cannot be read directly by scripts, parsers, or text tools. Exporting to .xml produces a structured, standard format that Python, PowerShell, XSLT processors, and any XML parser can consume, making it useful for programmatic event analysis or sharing trace data.

How to convert ETL to XML

tracerpt FREE

Run tracerpt yourfile.etl in an elevated Command Prompt; dumpfile.xml appears in the same folder. Use -o output.xml for a custom filename, or -lr for lenient parsing on traces with missing provider manifests.

PerfView OPEN-SOURCE

Download free PerfView.exe from Microsoft, open the .etl file, then use File > Save As to export selected events - best suited to .NET and CPU traces.

About these formats

.ETL Event Trace Log

An ETL file is a Windows Event Trace Log produced by Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) -- a binary record of system events such as performance counters, boot activity, driver traces, and…

Open .ETL details →
.XML Extensible Markup Language Document

An XML file is a plain-text document that stores structured data in nested, custom tags. Because it is just text, any text editor opens it - drag it into a browser tab for a quick,…

Open .XML details →

Quality & what to watch

  • dumpfile.xml can be extremely large; a trace spanning a few seconds may contain hundreds of thousands of event records.
  • Event fields are decoded using provider manifests on the machine running tracerpt; unknown providers appear as raw GUIDs.
  • Use tracerpt yourfile.etl -o trace.xml -of XML to set a custom output filename explicitly.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need administrator rights to run tracerpt?
Some system ETL files require elevated access - run Command Prompt as administrator to be safe.
Can tracerpt output formats other than XML?
Yes - add -of CSV for comma-separated output or -of EVTX for a Windows event log file.
Why are some XML fields showing GUIDs instead of names?
ETW events decode using provider manifests on the local machine; run tracerpt on the machine that captured the trace for fully readable output.
Is PerfView better than tracerpt for all ETL files?
No - PerfView excels at .NET and CPU traces; tracerpt is simpler and produces a complete XML dump of all event types.