What is an .OXPS file?
An .OXPS file is an OpenXPS File (Open XML Paper Specification). Microsoft created this format as an alternative to PDF. Users typically create these files when they select the Microsoft XPS Document Writer to print a document to a file instead of a physical printer.
How to open .OXPS files?
In older versions of Windows, the XPS Viewer was installed by default. In newer versions, you must enable it manually in the Windows optional features settings. You can also view these files with third-party document readers like Sumatra PDF or process them using command-line tools like Ghostscript. On macOS and Linux, native support is missing, so third-party software or online viewers are required.
Best practices and troubleshooting
Many users struggle to open .OXPS files because modern operating systems do not always support them out of the box. If you cannot open a file, do not install unknown software. Instead, you can rename the extension to .ZIP to manually inspect the internal images and XML data, or use a secure online viewer. Converting the file to PDF is the best practice for sharing documents with other people.
Inspecting with viewer.online
viewer.online/oxps analyzes .OXPS files to identify their exact format and creator software. It shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews the content. If a file has multiple possible meanings or the extension is misleading, viewer.online/oxps will help you identify the actual format.
Summary
Because .OXPS files use the known ZIP format to bundle their internal data, viewer.online/oxps can safely open and display them online. This eliminates compatibility problems and lets you view your documents instantly from any device.