Skip to the converter

STL to OBJ converter, without the upload.

Turn an STL mesh into an OBJ for modelling and rendering. It is converted in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.

Drop STL files here

or choose from your computer paste with Ctrl V

Ready · other file types work too0 bytes uploaded, ever

Convert to

How to convert STL to OBJ

  1. Add your STL 3D models

    Drop STL files onto the box above, or click it to choose them. ToAny reads the file's contents to detect the type, so a wrong extension does not matter.

  2. OBJ is already chosen

    Press Convert. There is nothing else to set. The work happens in this tab.

  3. Download

    Save the OBJ, or download everything as one ZIP if you converted several files.

Why ToAny

  • Private by construction

    The STL to OBJ converter is part of this page and runs inside your browser. Your 3D models are never sent to ToAny or to anyone else.

  • No upload, no queue

    Nothing has to travel to a server and back, so the conversion starts the moment you press Convert, even on a slow connection.

  • Free, without an account

    No sign-up, no email address and no watermark. Add several files and download them together as a ZIP.

STL to OBJ: what to expect

STL is the format 3D printers take, but modelling and rendering programs generally prefer OBJ, which is a text format that most of them read and write. STL has no UV coordinates, colours or units, so the OBJ holds the same triangles and nothing new; its advantage is simply that more tools import it.

The model is converted as triangles: lines and points are dropped, positions are used as they are, and no axis conversion is applied, so a model that is Y-up in glTF and Z-up in STL, OBJ and PLY is written exactly as it was read. Vertex colours are written into the OBJ; materials and textures are not. Models up to 3,000,000 triangles are accepted.

STL vs OBJ

STL

STL 3D model

STL describes a surface as a list of triangles and nothing else: no colour, no materials, no units. That simplicity made it the standard input of 3D printers and slicing software. It exists as binary and as text; the binary one is much smaller.

Opens in Every slicer and 3D printing program, CAD tools and Windows 3D Viewer

STL converter
OBJ

Wavefront OBJ model

OBJ is a text format that lists vertices, texture coordinates, normals and faces, with materials in a companion .mtl file. It has no animation or scene hierarchy, but it is so simple that almost every 3D program reads and writes it.

Opens in Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, MeshLab and nearly every 3D program

OBJ converter
STL compared with OBJ
STLSTL 3D modelOBJWavefront OBJ model
Stands forStereolithography fileWavefront OBJ
Type3D model3D model
CompressionNoneNone (text)
Introduced1987, by 3D SystemsThe late 1980s, by Wavefront Technologies
Opens inEvery slicer and 3D printing program, CAD tools and Windows 3D ViewerBlender, Maya, 3ds Max, MeshLab and nearly every 3D program
Best for3D printingExchanging a mesh between 3D programs
File extension.stl.obj

Questions

Are my 3D models uploaded anywhere?

No. The STL to OBJ conversion runs inside your browser, on your own phone or computer. The file is not sent to ToAny or to anyone else.

Is anything lost when converting STL to OBJ?

No further quality is lost: OBJ stores the decoded audio exactly. The result is identical in content.

Can I convert several STL files at once?

Yes. Add as many as you like, convert them together and download each result or all of them as one ZIP.

How do I convert STL to OBJ on Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android?

The steps are the same everywhere because ToAny runs in the web browser: open this page in a current version of Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, add the STL file, press Convert and save the OBJ. There is nothing to install.

Is there a file size limit?

Yes. Models up to 150 MB and 3,000,000 triangles are accepted; a larger one is refused with a message. Beyond that the limit is your device's memory, since nothing is uploaded; a computer copes with large files better than a phone.