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| HDF5 Last Updated on 2026-07-28 The HDF5 Field Guide

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The HDF5 h5format_convert Tool

Navigate back: Main / HDF5 User Guide / Command Line Tools for HDF5 Files

# h5format_convert

## Introduction

With h5format_convert, you can convert a datasets format in an HDF5 file.

## Usage

#### h5format_convert [OPTIONS] file_name

## Error Report Option

- --enable-error-stack Prints messages from the HDF5 error stack as they occur. Optional value 2 also prints file open errors, `--enable-error-stack=2`.

## Options

- --help Print a usage message and exit
- --version Print the library version number and exit
- --verbose Turn on verbose mode
- --dname=dataset_name Pathname for the dataset
- --noop Perform all the steps except the actual conversion

### Usage Examples

- 1) h5format_convert --dname=/group/dataset file_name

       Convert the dataset </group/dataset> in the HDF5 file <file_name>:
       - chunked dataset: convert the chunk indexing type to version 1 B-tree
       - compact/contiguous dataset: downgrade the layout version to 3
       - virtual dataset: no action

- 2) h5format_convert file_name

       Convert all datasets in the HDF5 file <file_name>:
       - chunked dataset: convert the chunk indexing type to version 1 B-tree
       - compact/contiguous dataset: downgrade the layout version to 3
       - virtual dataset: no action

- 3) h5format_convert --noop --dname=/group/dataset file_name

       Go through all the steps except the actual conversion when
       converting the dataset </group/dataset> in the HDF5 file <file_name>.

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Navigate back: Main / HDF5 User Guide / Command Line Tools for HDF5 Files