An .XPS file is an XML Paper Specification file that describes the structure and content of a document, including its layout and appearance. XPS files can be a single page or multiple pages. This article takes a closer look at this file type, how to open one, and which programs can convert it to common formats such as PDF or JPG.

XPS files were first implemented as a replacement for the EMF format and are somewhat similar to Microsoft's version of PDFs, but are based on the XML format. Due to the structure of XPS files, their description of a document does not change based on the operating system or printer and is consistent across all platforms.

XPS files are consistent across computers. That means you can share a document with others and know that what you see on the page is what they will see (if they use an XPS viewing program). You can create an XPS file in Windows by "printing" to Microsoft XPS Document Writer (that option appears when you're asked which printer to use).

Windows 11 and 10 can open XPS files using Microsoft's Reader app. You can use Pagemark to open XPS files on a Mac and the Pagemark XPS Viewer plug-in for Firefox and Safari web browsers. Linux users can also use Pagemark's utilities to open XPS files.