INI to JSON Converter – Convert INI & JSON Online Free
About the INI to JSON Converter
The INI to JSON Converter works in both directions: paste in an INI configuration file and get structured JSON, or paste in JSON and get a properly formatted INI file back. It preserves sections, key-value pairs, and global keys that appear before any section header, so nothing gets lost in translation.
It’s built for developers and sysadmins working with legacy config files, app settings, or environment configuration that needs to move between formats. Once you have your JSON output, the JSON Formatter can help you validate and beautify it, and the XML to JSON Converter is useful if your project mixes config formats across services.
BigToolSite Team verified this converter against multi-section files, boolean and numeric value casting, quoted strings, and comment lines starting with ; or # to confirm both directions handle real-world config files correctly.
How to Use the INI to JSON Converter
- Choose a direction: INI to JSON or JSON to INI.
- Paste your INI or JSON content into the input field.
- Enable Pretty Print Output for indented, readable formatting.
- Click Convert to generate the result instantly.
- Use Copy Output or Download to save the converted file.
Example Usage
Input (INI to JSON):
[database]
host = localhost
port = 3306
Output:
{ “database”: { “host”: “localhost”, “port”: 3306 } }
Values like true, false, and numeric strings are automatically cast to their correct JSON types, so port = 3306 becomes a number rather than staying as text. For config data that needs to reach a spreadsheet instead, the JSON to CSV Converter can take your converted output a step further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Global keys placed before the first section header are converted to top-level JSON keys, separate from any section objects that follow.
Lines starting with a semicolon (;) or a hash (#) are treated as comments and are skipped entirely during conversion.
Yes, a JSON array value is converted into repeated key[] = value lines within its section when converting from JSON to INI.
Yes, values containing characters like semicolons, brackets, or equals signs are automatically wrapped in quotes during JSON to INI conversion to keep the INI file valid.
Yes, it’s completely free with no signup required.
