Free online VMG to TXT converter

Older Nokia phones and Nokia PC Suite export SMS messages as .vmg, but text editors, scripts, and archive systems generally accept .txt. Converting the export creates a searchable, shareable plain-text copy when the original phone software is unavailable.

What the VMG format is

In the Mobile platforms context, VMG is a vMessage-based format used mainly by older Nokia phones and Nokia PC Suite for SMS storage and export. A file can contain the sender, recipient, date, status, folder information, character-set declarations, and message body. One file may contain one message or several BEGIN:VMSG blocks, depending on the exporting application.

VMG files are usually text-based and may include markers such as BEGIN:VMSG, BEGIN:VBODY, and END:VBODY. The message body can use a BODY: or parameterized BODY; field and quoted-printable encoding, where sequences such as =20 and =C3=A9 represent encoded characters. A text editor can display these bytes but does not necessarily decode them.

What the TXT format is

TXT is a plain-text file with no required document structure, metadata scheme, or character encoding. Notepad, Notepad++, TextEdit, command-line tools, scripts, and document-management systems can open it without Nokia software.

Plain text is useful for reading, searching, copying, importing, and archiving SMS content. It does not preserve VMG fields as structured data unless the converter writes those fields into the output. UTF-8 is normally the safest output encoding because it supports accented characters and non-Latin scripts on current systems.

Convert a VMG file on 101convert.com

1. Open the VMG-to-TXT converter on 101convert.com.
2. Select the original .vmg file from the computer or backup.
3. Choose TXT as the output format and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting .txt file and open it in a text editor.
5. Check that the sender, date, message body, accented characters, and message boundaries are readable before deleting the VMG.

This is the quickest option when you need readable plain text rather than a preserved, structured SMS archive. Keep the original VMG because conversion to TXT can discard fields or combine multiple messages.

Convert a VMG file locally

For a one-off local copy, open the VMG in Notepad++ or another text editor that supports encoding selection, then use File → Save As and save a copy with a .txt extension. Select UTF-8 if the editor provides an encoding choice. This method changes the container to plain text but may leave VMG headers, MIME-style markers, quoted-printable sequences, and several messages in the output.

Do not treat renaming message.vmg as conversion. Renaming to message.txt changes only the filename extension; it does not remove VMG fields, separate messages, decode quoted-printable data, or correct the character encoding.

If the body contains values such as =20 or =C3=A9, use a VMG-aware desktop converter or decode quoted-printable data before saving. A plain editor will not reliably perform that operation. Older utilities made specifically for Nokia VMG exports may support batch processing, but test them on copies because availability and compatibility with current operating systems vary.

Automate local conversion with Python

For repeatable processing, a Python script can extract each body, decode quoted-printable content, and write UTF-8 text. This compact example handles ordinary Nokia VMG files with one body:

from pathlib import Path
import quopri

source = Path('message.vmg').read_bytes()
lines = source.splitlines()
body = []
inside = False
quoted = False

for line in lines:
    upper = line.upper()
    if not inside and upper.startswith(b'BODY') and b':' in line:
        header, content = line.split(b':', 1)
        quoted = b'QUOTED-PRINTABLE' in header.upper()
        inside = True
        body.append(content)
    elif inside and upper.startswith(b'END:VBODY'):
        break
    elif inside:
        body.append(line)

result = b'\n'.join(body)
if quoted:
    result = quopri.decodestring(result)

Path('message.txt').write_text(
    result.decode('utf-8', errors='replace'),
    encoding='utf-8'
)

Save the script as vmg_to_txt.py beside the VMG file and run python vmg_to_txt.py. For multiple messages, process every BEGIN:VMSG block separately instead of stopping after the first VBODY. If the file declares another character set, decode the bytes with that charset before writing UTF-8; otherwise unsupported characters may become replacement symbols.

Quality and compatibility limits

• TXT does not retain read or delivery status, mailbox location, folders, message threading, phonebook relationships, or other VMG fields as structured information.
• Attachments, MMS media, delivery reports, and vendor-specific backup data cannot be represented reliably in ordinary TXT.
• Incorrect accented characters, emoji, or non-Latin text usually indicate a character-set or quoted-printable decoding problem. Compare the output with the original VMG.
• A VMG with no readable VBODY may be incomplete, encrypted by a backup application, or use a vendor-specific variation that requires the original phone software.
• SMS exports can contain private conversations, phone numbers, and timestamps. Use local conversion for sensitive files and retain the untouched VMG as the archival copy.