Your First Conversion

🎮 Your First Conversion

So you just opened OpenROM for the first time. Here's exactly what to do.

---

Step 1 — Drop your file

Drag any ROM file into the DROP ZONE on the left side.

Or click the DROP ZONE to browse for a file manually.

OpenROM accepts: .iso, .bin, .cue, .chd, .cso, .zso, .ecm, .gdi, .img, .xiso

The file appears in the Queue below the DROP ZONE.

---

Step 2 — Pick your output format

On the right side under "CONVERT TO:", you'll see the formats available for your file.

Not sure which to pick? Quick guide:

Your goal	Pick this
Save space, keep quality	CHD
PSP/PS2 on phone emulator	CSO
Tiny PS1 file	ECM
Play on Xbox emulator	XISO

Full breakdown → Format Guide

---

Step 3 — Hit Convert

Click the big red Convert button.

You'll see the live terminal log at the bottom start scrolling — that's OpenROM running the conversion in real time.

---

Step 4 — Where's my file?

By default, the output file lands in the same folder as your original file.

So if your ROM was at:

C:\ROMs\PS1\CoolGame.bin

Your CHD will be at:

C:\ROMs\PS1\CoolGame.chd

---

What just happened under the hood?

OpenROM called one of the bundled tools (chdman, maxcso, ecm, or extract-xiso) with the right flags for your conversion — so you didn't have to.

That's literally it. No magic, just convenience. 😄

---

Something went wrong?

→ Troubleshooting