Free online RB to TXT converter

Some systems accept source code only as a .txt upload, while basic editors and archives may also require the extension. Ruby source is already plain text, so the usual conversion preserves the code and changes only the filename or encoding.

What the RB format is

An .rb file contains Ruby source code, including statements, methods, classes, modules, comments, and embedded documentation. Ruby interpreters run these files; Ruby on Rails applications, Ruby gems, command-line tools, and code editors commonly use them.

RB has no required binary container. Most files are UTF-8 text, although older projects may use another character encoding. The .rb extension tells operating systems and development tools to treat the text as Ruby source.

What the TXT format is

A .txt file contains unformatted character data without a language-specific file structure. It does not include Ruby syntax highlighting, editor settings, project dependencies, or executable metadata; those features come from the application opening the file.

Changing an RB file to TXT does not translate or simplify the Ruby code. The resulting file still contains Ruby syntax and can remain executable if passed explicitly to a Ruby interpreter.

How to convert an RB file to TXT

Rename a copy when the source is already plain text and the receiving system checks only the extension:

1. Copy script.rb so the original remains available for Ruby tools.
2. Show file-name extensions in the operating system’s file manager.
3. Rename the copy to script.txt, making sure it does not become script.txt.rb.
4. Open the copy in a text editor and verify that the code, characters, and line breaks are unchanged.

Save a new TXT file from an editor when you need to select an encoding or line-ending style:

1. Open the RB file in Visual Studio Code, Notepad++, Sublime Text, or another plain-text editor.
2. Choose File → Save As.
3. Enter script.txt as the filename and select UTF-8 unless the receiving system requires another encoding.
4. Choose an option such as All files where necessary to prevent the editor from adding another extension.
5. Keep the original .rb file if it must still be recognized or launched as Ruby.

A local command-line copy performs the same extension change without editing the contents. On macOS or Linux, run cp script.rb script.txt. In Windows PowerShell, run Copy-Item script.rb script.txt.

If the original uses a known non-UTF-8 encoding, convert it explicitly instead of guessing. For example, iconv -f WINDOWS-1252 -t UTF-8 script.rb -o script.txt converts Windows-1252 text to UTF-8; replace the source encoding with the one actually used by the file.

You can also convert the file for free on 101convert.com without installing software: upload the RB file, select TXT as the output format, start the conversion, and download the result. Use a local method for confidential source code unless uploading it is permitted.

Quality and compatibility considerations

Renaming or copying normally preserves Ruby syntax, comments, indentation, and line breaks. Saving through an editor can change the encoding, add or remove a UTF-8 byte-order mark, or change Windows CRLF line endings to Unix LF endings. Check these settings if the receiving program is strict.

Characters such as accented letters, non-Latin text, and symbols can become corrupted when the wrong encoding is selected. Use UTF-8 for new files unless the target system specifies another encoding. If a Unix-based tool requires LF endings, convert them with the editor or a utility such as dos2unix script.txt.

A program that expects an .rb filename may reject the TXT copy even when its contents are valid Ruby. Retain the RB file for normal execution, or invoke the interpreter explicitly with ruby script.txt when the file contains valid Ruby code.