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PDFBase

XPS to PDF Converter

Local

Convert XPS fixed-layout documents to PDF in your browser

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XPS to PDF
Local

    Add up to 20 files. Each one is converted separately, so a file that cannot be read does not stop the rest, and every conversion comes with a note of anything the PDF could not reproduce.

    Tool Details
    Input formatsXPS
    Output formatPDF
    Max file size50 MB
    Max files20
    Max batch size150 MB
    ProcessingLocal
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    Your files are processed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server.

    How do I open an XPS file without the Windows XPS Viewer?

    Convert it to PDF here. Add your .xps files, run the queue, and read the result in any PDF reader on any device. The converter opens the XPS package, reads the fixed-page markup inside, and redraws each page's vector paths, images and text at the coordinates the file specifies — so the layout is the one the document was written with, not a reflowed approximation.

    About the XPS to PDF Converter

    Convert XPS documents to PDF by reading the fixed-page markup inside the package. Each page's canvases, vector paths, clipping, transforms, opacity, embedded PNG and JPEG images and glyph runs are translated into the equivalent PDF drawing operators, and the 96-units-per-inch XPS coordinate space is converted to PDF points, so marks land where the original put them. Embedded fonts are not carried over: their real names are read from the font programs and mapped onto the standard PDF fonts, with each run of text scaled to the width the package specifies.

    • Open an XPS document on a Mac, a phone or any machine without the Windows XPS Viewer, which Microsoft stopped installing by default.
    • Convert an XPS print-to-file archive into a PDF your document system, e-signature service or email client will actually accept.
    • Keep the page geometry: XPS is a fixed-layout format and every path, image and glyph run is placed at the coordinates the file specifies rather than being reflowed.
    • Convert a stack of XPS files at once and download them as a ZIP with a manifest recording what each conversion changed.
    • Check the page count and a thumbnail of each finished PDF before downloading anything.

    How to use the XPS to PDF tool

    1. 1

      Upload XPS files

      Select XPS files from your device or drag files into the upload area.

    2. 2

      Review files

      Review the selected files and continue when they are ready.

    3. 3

      Convert to PDF

      Run the XPS to PDF tool to create the PDF output.

    4. 4

      Download the result

      Download the finished file. The original file stays on your device and is not uploaded.

    Why will nothing on your computer open an XPS file?

    XPS was Microsoft's answer to PDF, introduced with Windows Vista, and for years Windows shipped both an XPS Document Writer that produced the files and an XPS Viewer that read them. The writer is still there. The viewer stopped being installed by default from Windows 10 version 1803 onward and has to be added by hand as an optional feature. Nothing outside Windows ever supported the format widely, so an XPS file is now the classic case of a document produced by a machine that can no longer read it back.

    How faithful is the page layout?

    Geometrically, very. XPS is a fixed-layout format: every page part declares its size and lists the marks on it with absolute coordinates, so there is no line breaking to guess at. The converter translates the 96-units-per-inch XPS coordinate space into PDF points, applies canvas and element transforms, and emits the equivalent PDF path, clipping, transparency and image operators. Vector paths stay vector, PNG and JPEG images are embedded as they are, and text runs start where the package says they start.

    What happens to the fonts an XPS package carries?

    They are not embedded into the PDF. XPS stores fonts as obfuscated OpenType parts named after a random identifier, so the converter unscrambles each one only far enough to read its internal name table, learns that the run was set in, say, Calibri Bold, and draws the text in the closest standard PDF font. Each run is then scaled horizontally to the exact width the package declares, so it begins and ends where the original did. The result is correct positions and searchable, selectable text in different letterforms — and the report names every typeface that was swapped.

    What else does the converter approximate?

    Gradient fills are flattened to the average of their colour stops, because PDFBase writes solid fills rather than shading dictionaries. A tiled image brush is drawn once across its shape instead of being repeated. Opacity masks are ignored, so the shape they would soften is drawn at full strength. Images stored as TIFF or JPEG-XR are left out, since only PNG and JPEG can be embedded without a decoder. Each of these is reported against the specific file it affected rather than as a general disclaimer.

    Are my files uploaded when converting XPS to PDF?

    No. An XPS package is a ZIP file, and it is opened, read and redrawn entirely inside this browser tab, with no request to any server at any point. XPS files are very often print-to-file archives of invoices, statements and scanned correspondence, which is exactly the material that should not be handed to an online converter.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why can I not open XPS files on Windows any more?
    Windows stopped installing the XPS Viewer by default from Windows 10 version 1803. The XPS Document Writer that creates the files is still there, so it is easy to end up with documents your own machine cannot display. Converting to PDF removes the dependency entirely.
    Does converting XPS to PDF change the page layout?
    The geometry is preserved. XPS is a fixed-layout format that specifies exact coordinates for every mark, and those coordinates are converted from 96 units per inch to PDF points and used directly. Nothing is reflowed, so paths, images and lines of text sit where the original put them.
    Are the fonts inside the XPS file used in the PDF?
    No. Embedded fonts are read only far enough to learn their names and whether they are bold or italic, then mapped onto the standard PDF fonts. Each run of text is scaled to the exact width the package declares, so it occupies the same space in different letterforms. The report names every typeface that was substituted.
    Is the text in the converted PDF still selectable?
    Yes. The converter writes a real text layer rather than an image of the page, so the PDF can be searched, copied from and read by a screen reader. Vector paths stay as vector paths too, rather than being rasterised.
    What is the largest XPS file I can convert?
    Up to 50 MB per file, 20 files at a time and 150 MB in total. Because everything happens in your browser, these are memory budgets rather than upload limits — a very large document on a phone is best converted a few files at a time.

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