What is the EXPRESS file format?
An .express file is a presentation made with BlackBerry Express, a slide-authoring app for BlackBerry 10 phones. BlackBerry Sweden built the app and released it as a free beta on BlackBerry World in November 2013, updating it to version 1.0.1.16 that December. The idea was to let someone assemble a deck on a phone in minutes, sorting content into chapters, sections, bullet points and text, and then present it on the device or on an external screen over HDMI.
Despite the extension, an .express file is not a proprietary binary. It is a .tar archive under a different name. Inside sits a JSON manifest that records the slide structure and text, along with copies of every image the author imported. There is no compression or encryption, which is why the contents come out cleanly once you treat the file as an archive.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn .express file is a passive TAR archive of images and JSON text, so it does not execute code. The main risk is practical rather than security-related: the app that created it is discontinued, so opening one now means extracting its parts manually. As with any archive from an unknown source, scan it before unpacking, since a TAR container could in principle hold unexpected files.
Format details
in a nutshell- ExpressionEngine / generic project files - Some tools and generators emit files named with an .express suffix as internal project or config files; these are unrelated to BlackBerry Express presentations.
- Express.js scaffolding - Users sometimes informally refer to Express (Node.js) app files as 'express files', but the web framework does not define an .express extension.
Programs that open EXPRESS files
Windows2 apps
WinRAR
Paid Rename the file to .tar and open it in WinRAR to browse and extract the presentation's images and JSON layout. 
7-Zip
Open-source Rename the file from .express to .tar, right-click it and choose 7-Zip then Extract to pull out the JSON manifest and the embedded images. 
macOS2 apps
The Unarchiver
Free Change the extension to .tar, then open the file with The Unarchiver to unpack the images and JSON contents. 
Archive Utility (built-in)
Built-in Rename to .tar and double-click; macOS Archive Utility expands the TAR archive into a folder of its members. 
Linux2 apps
tar (GNU tar)
Open-source Run tar -xvf yourfile.express in a terminal to extract the JSON manifest and images without even renaming the file.
GNOME Archive Manager (File Roller)
Open-source Rename to .tar and open in Archive Manager to browse and extract the presentation's contents graphically. Technical details
deep spec| Container | TAR (Tape Archive) |
| Compression | None (TAR concatenates files without compression) |
| Structure | A single .express file is a TAR archive holding a JSON manifest that describes the presentation (chapters, sections, slides, text, layout) plus copies of the images imported into the deck. Renaming the file to .tar and extracting it exposes these members. |
| Encoding | JSON manifest is UTF-8 text; images stored in their original raster formats |
| Integrity | Per-member header checksum inherent to the TAR format; no document-level signature |
| Platforms | BlackBerry 10 |
| Typical size | Ranges from tens of kilobytes for a text-only deck to several megabytes when high-resolution images are embedded |
| Notes | The app organized content into chapters, sections, bullet points and text, and could output to a BlackBerry 10 screen or an external display over HDMI. The format was never publicly documented; its TAR/JSON internals were reverse-engineered by users trying to recover their slides after the app was pulled. |
| Released | 2013 |
| Latest version | App v1.0.1.16 (December 2013) |
| Specification | fileinfo.com |
EXPRESS conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about EXPRESS files.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open an .express file on my computer?
.tar, then open it with any archive utility such as 7-Zip, The Unarchiver, or the tar command. Inside you will find the presentation's images and a JSON file describing the slides.Can I convert an .express file to PowerPoint?
What program created .express files?
Is an .express file really just a TAR archive?
.tar and extracting it works, revealing a JSON manifest plus the imported images.
