How to Open XPS Files: Step-by-Step Guide

This updated guide explains how to Open XPS Files through clear steps, practical examples, and important checks that help prevent common errors.

Method 1 of 2:

On Windows

Add XPS Viewer to your computer if necessary. XPS Viewer is installed on Windows 10 computers by default, but you'll need to reinstall it if you've cleared your computer's optional features in the past:
- Open Start
  , then click Settings
  .
- Click Apps , then click the Manage optional features link.
- Click Add a feature at the top of the page.
- Find and click XPS Viewer , then click Install .
- Restart your computer once XPS Viewer finishes installing.
Find the XPS document. Go to the location of the XPS document you may need to open.
Double-click the XPS document. Doing so will prompt the XPS document to begin opening in your computer's XPS Viewer app.
Wait for the document to open. This may take a few seconds depending on the document's size. Once the document finishes loading, you should see it in the XPS Viewer window.
Open XPS Viewer by itself. If you may need to open the program you use to view XPS documents, do the following:
- Open Start
  .
- Type in xps viewer.
- Click XPS Viewer in the list of search results.
Click File. It's in the XPS viewer window at the top. This will open a drop-down menu.
Click Open. It's the first option at the top of the drop-down menu. This will open a new file explorer window for you to choose the XPS file you may need to open.
Select your XPS file and click Open. Select the location of your XPS file on the left side of the file explorer window (such as *Documents* or *Downloads*) and then click the XPS file to select. Then click the Open button on the bottom-right corner of the file explorer window. This opens your XPS file in the XPS viewer.

Method 2 of 2:

On Mac

Open the XPS to PDF website. Go to https://xpstopdf. com/ in your computer's web browser. While you can't open XPS files on a Mac without purchasing software, you can convert the XPS files into PDF files which can be opened with your Mac's default PDF viewer.
- XPS files are fundamentally no different from PDFs in terms of presentation.
Click UPLOAD FILES. It's a teal button in the middle of the page. A Finder window will open.
Select your XPS file. Go to the location of the XPS file you may need to open, then click it once to select it.
Click Choose. This blue button is in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so uploads the XPS file to the XPS to PDF website.
- You may click Open here instead.
Click DOWNLOAD. This yellow button will appear below your XPS document's name in the middle of the page once it finishes converting. Clicking it prompts your converted PDF to download.
- You may be prompted to confirm the download or select a save location before the PDF will download.
Double-click the downloaded PDF. Doing so will open it in your Mac's default PDF viewer (usually the Preview application).

FAQ

What is the easiest way to Open XPS Files?

Start with the requirements in this guide, then follow each step in order. Check the result after every major change so problems are easier to identify.