After centroiding, the ion intensity distribution across m/z is reduced to a single point, the peak apex, which leads to significant data reduction. There is an optional initial step in the workflow for file conversion and peak picking of Thermo Fisher raw data through the OpenMS algorithm FileConverter. This algorithm uses the ThermoRawFileParser executable (Figure ), which is a straightforward tool compatible with Linux, macOS and Windows operating systems . A popular alternative, which works for other vendor formats as well, is ProteoWizard's msConvert that can be employed independently (Table ). ProteoWizard's msConvert is compatible for Windows and Linux operating systems and thorough documentation is provided at . However, vendor software packages should be preferred for centroiding conversion to maintain data integrity.