Free online LVM to TXT converter

LabVIEW Measurement files are converted to TXT when another application accepts only generic plain text or when measurement data must be edited and shared without LabVIEW. Because standard LVM files are already readable text, the conversion often preserves or cleans the existing contents rather than decoding a binary format.

What the LVM format is

LVM means LabVIEW Measurement file. National Instruments LabVIEW creates LVM files through the Write to Measurement File Express VI and related file-I/O functions for readings from instruments, sensors, data-acquisition hardware, or simulations.

An LVM file normally contains a metadata header followed by tab-delimited measurement data. The header may include the LabVIEW version, date and time, separator information, channel names, units, and comments. The data section contains numeric or string readings and often a time column. LabVIEW projects, laboratories, engineering test systems, and National Instruments measurement workflows commonly use this format.

What the TXT format is

TXT is a generic plain-text format with no required data structure. A TXT file may contain tab-separated columns, comma-separated values, one value per line, or ordinary text.

TXT files open in text editors, scripts, document systems, and many data-analysis applications without LabVIEW. They are suitable for simple exchange and archival, but TXT does not guarantee an encoding, delimiter, decimal convention, column schema, or metadata standard. It cannot preserve charts, formulas, formatting, or application-specific information unless that information is written as plain text.

How to convert LVM to TXT

Use the built-in converter on 101convert.com when you need a straightforward file conversion without installing desktop software:

1. Open the LVM-to-TXT converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the .lvm file and select TXT if an output format is requested.
3. Start the conversion and download the resulting .txt file.
4. Open the output in a text editor and check the header, separators, numeric values, timestamps, and row count.

For confidential measurement data, use a local method instead of uploading the file.

Convert locally without changing the data

Standard LVM files are ASCII or otherwise plain text, so a receiving program that only checks the extension may accept a copy with a .txt suffix. In a file manager, copy measurement.lvm, rename the copy to measurement.txt, and keep the original unchanged. From a command prompt or terminal, use:

copy measurement.lvm measurement.txt

On macOS or Linux, use:

cp measurement.lvm measurement.txt

This method changes only the filename; it does not remove the LVM header or convert delimiters. Use it only when the target program can interpret the existing LVM text layout.

Create a cleaned TXT export

For a plain text copy, open the file in a text editor and use File → Save As with a .txt filename. Choose UTF-8 if channel names or comments contain non-ASCII characters. This preserves the visible text but does not restructure the measurements.

For selected columns or a new delimiter, open the file in LabVIEW with the Read From Measurement File Express VI or compatible file-I/O VIs. Remove unwanted channels or header fields, then write the result with the Write Delimited Spreadsheet File VI or Write to Text File. Set the delimiter, column headings, decimal representation, encoding, and line endings before saving output.txt.

A spreadsheet program such as LibreOffice Calc can import the measurement section with Tab selected as the delimiter and export plain text, but it may change timestamps, decimal formatting, significant digits, or leading zeros. Keep the original LVM file and inspect the exported values after saving.

Compatibility and quality limitations

Renaming or directly copying an LVM file retains its metadata, units, comments, and acquisition details, but a program expecting only a data table may reject the LabVIEW header. A cleaned export improves table compatibility but can discard units, timestamps, acquisition settings, comments, or channel definitions.

Confirm the receiving program's required delimiter: tabs, commas, spaces, or one value per line. Also confirm the decimal separator. A comma used both for decimals and column separation can make values ambiguous. TXT has no universal schema, so document the encoding, delimiter, decimal convention, column order, and header meaning when exchanging the file.