Why convert EXPRESS to JSON?
.express presentations store their structure as an internal JSON file wrapped in a TAR container. Extracting to .json gives you the readable, editable description of slides, text and layout without needing the discontinued BlackBerry Express app.
How to convert EXPRESS to JSON
7-Zip FREE
Open the .express file in 7-Zip (or rename it to .tar first), then extract the contents to reveal the .json file and image assets.
Command line (tar) FREE
Run tar -xf presentation.express in a terminal to unpack the archive and expose the internal .json file.
Visual Studio Code OPEN-SOURCE
After extracting, open the resulting .json in VS Code to read, format and edit the presentation data.
About these formats
An .express file is a presentation created with BlackBerry Express, a free slide app for BlackBerry 10 phones released in 2013. Under the hood the file is a renamed TAR archive that stores…
Open .EXPRESS details →
.JSON
JavaScript Object Notation file
A JSON file is a plain-text data file in JavaScript Object Notation format, used by web APIs, app configurations, and data exports. Any text editor opens it - Notepad on Windows, TextEdit…
Open .JSON details →Quality & what to watch
- The extracted JSON only describes the presentation; images are separate files, not embedded in the JSON.
- Because BlackBerry Express is discontinued, the JSON schema is undocumented, so field meanings must be inferred.
- This gives you the raw data, not a slideshow you can present directly.
Frequently asked questions
Why does 7-Zip open an .express file?
.express is just a renamed TAR archive, and 7-Zip can read TAR containers.Where is the JSON inside the file?
.express archive contains a .json file describing the slides alongside any imported images.
