.mz2 from the MasterCook desktop app (File → Export → MasterCook 5+), then upload it above — we'll convert it to JSON, PDF, CSV, or Markdown for free.
Keep your MasterCook recipes in formats you own
MasterCook has joined Cook'n, and MasterCook.com is set to go offline on December 31, 2026. Export your library as .mz2 from the MasterCook desktop app, then upload it here to convert your recipes to JSON, PDF, CSV, Markdown, and other open formats. Free, no account required.
100% free. Full-fidelity ingredient parsing. No account required.
Pick the path that fits your situation
MasterCook is being consolidated into Cook'n by DVO Enterprises, the same company that makes Cook'n. MasterCook.com is set to go offline on December 31, 2026 (per the notice MasterCook posted on their own homepage before the redirect went up). You have three real options from here.
Transfer to Cook'n
DVO offers existing MasterCook.com or MasterCook AI subscribers a $10 transfer fee to move into Cook'n with their member benefits intact (details on DVO's page). This fits if you want a hosted recipe service with cloud sync and you're fine with an ongoing Cook'n subscription.
Export to your own computer and stop there
Use the MasterCook desktop app (File → Export → MasterCook 5+) to save your library as .mz2 files. Keep them in your own backups. This fits if you're comfortable in the desktop app and want a local copy independent of any cloud service.
Export and convert to open formats
Same first step — export to .mz2 from the desktop app. Then upload your .mz2 above, and we'll convert it to JSON, PDF, CSV, Markdown, CookLang, or any of seven open formats that any tool can read. Free, no account, no ongoing subscription. This fits if you want copies of your recipes in formats that don't depend on any one company staying around — so if you change apps, devices, or your mind later, your collection still works.
How to export your .mz2 from MasterCook
Open MasterCook on your computer.
The desktop app is the only export path that still works — MasterCook.com itself now redirects to DVO, so the old sign-in-and-download-backup flow isn't available. If you don't have the desktop app installed, see Step 4 below.
File → Export → MasterCook 5+.
This produces .mx2 / .mz2 files. Save them somewhere you'll remember — a folder, a USB drive, or a cloud storage service you control.
Got a lot of cookbooks?
Use the MasterCook PowerExporter tool (free, from the Microsoft Store) to export all your cookbooks at once instead of one at a time.
No desktop app?
Email [email protected] — they may be able to help you retrieve your recipes. The MasterCook help center also has a walkthrough article on exporting from MasterCook that covers the desktop steps in detail; the same .mz2 file produced there works for MoveMyRecipes too.
Upload your .mz2 file(s) above.
We'll convert your recipes to JSON, PDF, CSV, Markdown, CookLang, or any of seven open formats — pick as many as you want, all free.
Supported MasterCook formats
The XML export format. Ingredients with separate quantity/unit/name fields, section dividers, prep notes, and categories all preserved.
These are MasterCook's internal database files. They use proprietary compression we can't read. Open in MasterCook → File → Export → MasterCook 5+ to produce a .mz2 first.
Export to any format
Get your recipes in formats that work for you
Schema.org compliant
Print-ready cards
Excel-friendly
Plain text
For developers
Portable database
YAML format
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from MasterCook users mid-migration.
I'm being asked to transfer to Cook'n for $10. Should I? ▾
That's between you and DVO. The $10 transfer moves your existing MasterCook.com or MasterCook AI membership into Cook'n and keeps you in their ecosystem with cloud sync, ongoing subscription, and updates. Details are on DVO's transition page.
If you'd rather have a copy of your recipes in formats that work in any tool — independent of Cook'n or anything else — export your .mz2 from the MasterCook desktop app and use the steps above. The two paths aren't mutually exclusive: you can transfer to Cook'n and still keep an open-format backup of your own.
When does MasterCook.com shut down? ▾
MasterCook posted a notice on their own homepage before the redirect went up that read "MasterCook Servers Shutting Down on December 31 / MasterCook.com & Cloud Services Will Go Offline Permanently on December 31." That notice was still showing on MasterCook.com in February 2026 (Wayback Machine snapshot), so the only reading that makes sense is December 31, 2026. DVO's current transition FAQ says "The MasterCook.com servers are going offline soon" without restating the date.
In the meantime, mastercook.com already redirects to DVO, so the old sign-in flow isn't available — the desktop app is the path to producing a .mz2 today.
What's the difference between .mx2, .mz2, and .mc2? ▾
.mx2 is MasterCook's XML export — one file containing one cookbook (or one recipe).
.mz2 is a zip containing one or more .mx2 files — what the desktop app produces when you export "All Cookbooks".
.mc2 and .mcx are MasterCook's internal database files — proprietary compressed format we can't read directly. They need to be re-exported via File → Export → MasterCook 5+ to become a usable .mz2.
What if my export errors out? ▾
If MasterCook hits an error during export — usually "cannot create file" or a similar message — try selecting one cookbook at a time instead of "all cookbooks". Most errors come from a single corrupt recipe; isolating each cookbook lets you find which one's the problem and export the rest cleanly.
If individual exports also fail, the desktop app's File → Backup option produces a more forgiving full-library backup. Upload that here instead — we'll handle it.
What about my photos and ratings? ▾
Photos: embedded inside the XML as base64 — they carry over to formats that support images (PDF, JSON output preserves them as data URIs).
Ratings: MasterCook's four-axis ratings (taste / effort / appearance / affordable) aren't part of the standard schema.org Recipe shape, so they're currently dropped. If preserving them matters to you, let us know — we can add custom fields to keep them in the JSON output.
Categories, prep notes, ingredient sections, cuisine, yield, prep/cook times: all preserved.
Can I do multiple cookbooks at once? ▾
Yes. The .mz2 format is designed for this — it's a zip containing one .mx2 file per cookbook. When you export "All Cookbooks" from the desktop app, you get a single .mz2 with everything inside.
Upload that single file here and every recipe in every contained cookbook gets parsed in one pass. Tested cleanly with batches well over 100 recipes.
Are ingredient details preserved? ▾
Yes. Each ingredient's quantity, unit, name, and prep notes are extracted from the structured XML separately rather than concatenated into one string. Section dividers like "-- Crust --" or "-- Filling --" come through as headings, not as ingredient lines.
Your recipes are yours. Keep them that way.
Apps change ownership, terms, and pricing. Whether MasterCook's transition into Cook'n is a smooth landing or a hard one for your collection depends on whether you have copies in formats that don't depend on any one company being around. Convert your .mz2 above — once, free, with no ongoing subscription — and the next migration won't be a migration. It'll just be picking up a file.