What is a TEMPLATE file?
A .TEMPLATE file is a pre-formatted file used as a starting point to create new documents, data structures, or code. The most common type is a Pages Template created by Apple for the Apple iWork Suite. This software suite includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
However, the .TEMPLATE extension is generic and has multiple possible meanings. Developers frequently use it for AWS CloudFormation infrastructure definitions written in JSON or YAML. Other platforms, such as the Solidity programming language for smart contracts, or various music production tools, also use the .TEMPLATE extension for default presets.
How to open TEMPLATE files?
Because .TEMPLATE has multiple possible meanings, viewer.online/template is the best tool to identify the actual format of your file. viewer.online/template analyzes .TEMPLATE files to identify their exact format and creator software, shows which programs can open the file, and usually previews it.
If you know the file origin, you can open a Pages Template natively on a Mac or iOS device using Apple Pages. If the file is an AWS CloudFormation template or a generic code template, you can open it with text editors like Visual Studio Code or Notepad++.
File conversion and tools
If you receive an Apple template on a Windows computer, it will not open natively. We recommend using convert.guru to convert your .TEMPLATE files into widely compatible target formats like .DOCX, .PDF, or standard .TXT.
Summary
Because most .TEMPLATE files use the known ZIP format (for Apple documents) or standard text formatting, viewer.online/template can safely open and display them online, eliminating compatibility problems.