What is the QXD file format?
A .qxd file is the proprietary binary document format for QuarkXPress versions 1 through 6 - the dominant desktop publishing application from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Introduced with QuarkXPress 1.0 on the Macintosh in 1987, the format stores a complete single-layout publication: page geometry, master pages, text boxes and their stories, picture boxes with links to placed artwork, style sheets, colour definitions, and output settings.
The format is platform-sensitive: Mac-authored files carry an MMXPR marker at offset 2 (big-endian), while Windows files carry IIXPR (little-endian). Each QuarkXPress major version incremented an internal version code, so an older application cannot open a document saved in a newer version. QuarkXPress 9.1 and later can still open legacy .qxd files after an automatic conversion step.
Placed images are linked by path rather than embedded by default. Delivering a .qxd file without its linked image folder results in missing pictures; the "Collect for Output" function bundles the layout with all linked assets and fonts.
QuarkXPress 7 (2006) replaced .qxd with the .qxp project format, which supports multiple layouts per file. The format has no open specification; Markzware's QXPMarkz and the Q2ID plug-in provide the most practical paths to opening .qxd files in modern applications, including Adobe InDesign.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWQXD is a passive page-layout document - it does not execute code and is not a malware vector. Practical risks: version mismatch (can't open in an older QuarkXPress), missing linked images and fonts, and fake 'QXD viewer/converter' download sites that bundle adware. There is no legitimate free QXD viewer; prefer QuarkXPress, genuine Markzware tools, or request a PDF.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open QXD files
Windows3 apps
QuarkXPress
Paid Native editor. File > Open. Current QuarkXPress opens legacy .qxd and converts to current format. 
QXPMarkz (Markzware)
Paid Standalone app that opens QXD/QXP and converts to InDesign/IDML/PDF without QuarkXPress.
Adobe InDesign + Q2ID (Markzware)
Paid Q2ID InDesign plug-in imports QXD directly into InDesign, rebuilding as editable INDD. Note: Q2ID is being superseded by QXPMarkz. 
macOS3 apps
PageZephyr Search (Markzware)
Paid Searches and previews text content inside QXD files for archival/content-recovery purposes. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary binary page-layout document; no publicly available specification |
| Platform marker | `MMXPR` at offset 2 = Mac/big-endian; `IIXPR` at offset 2 = Windows/little-endian |
| Byte order | Platform-dependent - big-endian (Mac) or little-endian (Windows); encoded in file header |
| Version compatibility | Each QuarkXPress major version (1-6) increments the internal version code; older app cannot open a newer document |
| Password protection | Optional document-level password protection available |
| Image handling | Placed images linked by path, not embedded by default; 'Collect for Output' bundles layout with linked assets and fonts |
| Layouts per file | Single layout only - multi-layout support arrived with `.qxp` (QuarkXPress 7, 2006) |
| Max page size | Up to approximately 48 × 48 inches (1,219 × 1,219 mm) per page |
| Content stored | Page geometry, master pages, text boxes and stories, picture boxes, style sheets, colour definitions, H&J settings, print settings |
| Successor format | `.qxp` (QuarkXPress Project), introduced in QuarkXPress 7 (2006), replaced `.qxd` |
| Modern compatibility | QuarkXPress 9.1+ opens legacy `.qxd` (v3-v6) after automatic conversion; Markzware QXPMarkz for third-party conversion |
| MIME type | `application/vnd.Quark.QuarkXPress` |
| Compression | None documented |
| Released | 1987 (QuarkXPress 1.0, Mac) |
| Latest version | QuarkXPress 6 (2003) - last major version using .qxd; superseded by .qxp in v7 (2006) |
| Specification | www.quark.com |
QXD conversions
Community Q&A
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