XPS File Format (.xps)
An XPS file is a fixed-layout document stored as a ZIP-packaged set of XML page descriptions, Microsoft's answer to PDF that shipped as a virtual printer with Windows Vista.
XPS at a glance#
| Full name | Open XML Paper Specification |
|---|---|
| File extension | .xps |
| Category | Documents |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| First released | 2006 |
| MIME types | application/vnd.ms-xpsdocumentapplication/oxps |
| Other extensions | .oxps |
| Compression | Lossless |
| Specification | ECMA-388 (Open XML Paper Specification) |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip does not handle this format |
What a .xps file can hold#
These are the things a XPS file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Embedded metadata | Yes |
|---|---|
| Multiple images or pages | Yes |
| Selectable text | Yes |
Strengths and limitations of XPS#
What XPS does well
- Fixes page layout, fonts and images so the document looks identical wherever it opens, the same guarantee PDF makes
- Built into Windows through the Microsoft XPS Document Writer, so any Windows app that can print can produce one
- Its pages are XML rather than PDF's own page description language, making the internal structure easier to inspect
Where XPS falls short
- Support outside Windows is thin; most non-Windows software needs a dedicated viewer like MuPDF or Okular to open it
- Never displaced PDF, so almost no one distributes documents in XPS on purpose
- Windows 8 and later default to the .oxps extension, which older XPS Viewer installs do not recognize
An XPS file mostly shows up as the byproduct of printing to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer on Windows, not as a format chosen on purpose.
Convert XPS to PDF so the document opens on any device without installing Windows' XPS Viewer or a third-party reader.
How to open a .xps file#
A .xps file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on.
| Platform | Programs that open it |
|---|---|
| Windows | XPS Viewer, SumatraPDF |
| Linux | Okular, Evince |
| Web | FileFlip |
XPS questions people ask#
What is an XPS file?
An XPS file is a fixed-layout document, similar to a PDF, built from XML page descriptions packaged in a ZIP container. Microsoft introduced it with Windows Vista as a built-in alternative to PDF, and it still shows up mainly as the output of printing to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer.
Why does my XPS file have an .oxps extension instead of .xps?
Windows 8 and later save XPS documents with the .oxps extension by default, after Microsoft handed the .xps extension over to the Ecma-standardized Open XML Paper Specification and kept .oxps for its own implementation. The two are functionally the same fixed-layout format, but an older XPS Viewer built only for .xps may not recognize an .oxps file.
How do I open an XPS file on a Mac or phone?
Neither macOS, iOS nor Android ships a built-in XPS viewer, so an XPS file needs either a dedicated reader like MuPDF-based apps or converting to PDF, which every one of those platforms can open natively.
Converting XPS files#
FileFlip cannot open a .xps file, so there is nothing to convert it into here. It appears on the site as something other formats can be converted to.
FileFlip does not write .xps files, so nothing on the site converts into this format. It works as a source only.
Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.