What is the OXPS file format?
Files with the .oxps extension contain text documents compressed in ZIP format, possibly with graphic elements prepared for printout. All information, including page layout, is stored in an open markup language based on XAML - OpenXPS. The format was standardized by Ecma International in 2009 as ECMA-388, built on the XPS - XML Paper Specification originally developed by Microsoft in 2006. Starting with Windows 8, .oxps replaced .xps as the default output of the Microsoft XPS Document Writer printer driver.
This format supports additional functionalities, such as:
- Calibration of a printer within the CMYK colour palette,
- Printing templates,
- Gradients and colour transparency,
- Support for Windows Color System (WCS) colours.
.oxps files resemble PDF and PostScript files - they have a specified page layout in order to enable true reproduction of the document. It is a type of digital printout. .oxps does not support dynamic elements.
Internally, .oxps packages follow the Open Packaging Conventions (OPC) - the same container model used by Office Open XML formats such as .docx. Because the underlying container is a standard ZIP archive, a .oxps file can be renamed to .zip and opened in any archive tool to inspect individual page markup (.fpage parts) and embedded resources such as fonts and images.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWOXPS files contain page descriptions, fonts and images - no macros or active scripting - so the attack surface is limited to parser vulnerabilities in the viewer, which have been rare. The format cannot carry executable payloads the way Office macro documents can. Standard caution about unexpected attachments applies, but an .oxps is among the lower-risk document types.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open OXPS files
Windows3 apps
XPS Viewer
Built-in Settings → Apps → Optional features → View features → check 'XPS Viewer' → Install, then double-click the .oxps file. Preinstalled only on Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 before 1803. 
MuPDF
Open-source Open mupdf-gl and drag the .oxps file in - MuPDF renders OpenXPS natively; mutool can also convert it (mutool convert -o out.pdf file.oxps).
XpsConverter (Microsoft)
Free Command-line tool from the Windows Driver Kit that converts OXPS ↔ XPS (XpsConverter /OXPS=file.oxps /XPS=file.xps); use when an old XPS-only app refuses .oxps. 
macOS1 app
MuPDF (via Homebrew)
Open-source brew install mupdf, then 'mutool draw' / 'mutool convert -o out.pdf file.oxps' to view pages or get a PDF. 
Linux1 app
MuPDF
Open-source Install from your distro repos (package mupdf); 'mupdf file.oxps' views it, 'mutool convert' turns it into PDF. Technical details
deep spec| Container format | ZIP-based Open Packaging Conventions (OPC) package |
| MIME type | application/oxps |
| Page markup language | XAML-based XML using the OpenXPS namespace defined in ECMA-388 |
| Page description unit | Fixed Page - each page stored as a separate .fpage XML part inside the package |
| Magic bytes | 50 4B 03 04 at offset 0 (standard ZIP local file header; identical to any ZIP/OPC file) |
| Windows integration | Default output format of the Microsoft XPS Document Writer printer driver since Windows 8 (2012) |
| Color model support | sRGB, scRGB, ICC profiles, and CMYK via color context descriptors |
| Embedded image formats | JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and JPEG XR (HD Photo) raster images supported as page resources |
| Font embedding | Fonts embedded as OpenType or TrueType subsets within the package parts |
| Digital signatures | XML digital signatures with X.509 certificates supported for document authentication |
| Transparency and gradients | Full alpha transparency and gradient fills (linear and radial) supported natively |
| Dynamic content | Not supported - format is strictly static fixed-layout; no scripting or interactive elements |
| Multi-page structure | Each page is a separate .fpage part; a FixedDocumentSequence part defines the page order |
| Relationship to .xps | Successor to .xps (ECMA-341); adds CMYK colour, WCS support, and improved colour management |
| Released | 2009 (ECMA-388); default XPS flavor since Windows 8, 2012 |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | ecma-international.org |
OXPS conversions
Community Q&A
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