How to open a .xps file
XML Paper Specification · Document
An .xps file is Microsoft's fixed-layout document format, its answer to PDF. Windows removed the XPS Viewer by default, so the practical route now is converting to PDF or installing the optional feature back.
What a .xps file actually is
XPS was introduced with Windows Vista as a PDF alternative. It never displaced PDF, and Microsoft has been steadily retiring it, including dropping XPS Viewer from default Windows installations.
The newer .oxps variant is the standardised version, which is why an old XPS Viewer sometimes refuses a newer file.
Why it will not open
Windows 10 and 11 no longer include XPS Viewer out of the box. It exists as an optional feature but is not installed, so a double-click finds nothing.
Renaming it to an extension you can open will not help: changing the extension does not convert the file, it only changes what Windows tries to open it with.
Step by step
Windows
- 01To install the viewer: Settings, System, Optional features, Add an optional feature, then search for XPS Viewer.
- 02Simpler for a one-off: open the file in the XPS Viewer if present and print it to the "Microsoft Print to PDF" printer, giving you a PDF that opens anywhere.
- 03If you are the author, export to PDF instead of XPS. Nothing is gained by choosing XPS today.
- 04An old viewer that rejects the file may be hitting the .oxps variant; converting to PDF sidesteps it.
macOS
- 01macOS has no XPS support at all.
- 02The file has to be converted on a Windows machine, or you ask the sender for a PDF.
What usually goes wrong
XPS is a dead end
Microsoft has been removing XPS support step by step and nothing outside Windows ever supported it. If you hold XPS documents that matter, convert them to PDF now rather than later.
Programs that open .xps
Our pick, in order. Every one links to the publisher's official download URL and the SHA-256 hash of the installer. Once you have downloaded it, you can check the file against our index before you run it.
If you end up downloading one of these from somewhere other than the publisher, what you can and cannot verify about that is worth two minutes.
Also registers .xps in its manifest
Taken straight from publisher manifests. Some of these handle the format for a narrow purpose rather than as their main job.
Common questions
- Why can I not open XPS files on Windows 11?
- XPS Viewer is no longer installed by default. Add it from Settings, System, Optional features, or convert the file to PDF using Microsoft Print to PDF.
- How do I convert XPS to PDF?
- Open it in XPS Viewer and print to the "Microsoft Print to PDF" printer. The result is an ordinary PDF that opens on any device.