What is the XD file format?
Files with the .xd extension store website or mobile application templates, or complete projects created using Adobe XD. The Adobe XD project file is a ZIP archive with a structure designed by Adobe - its first internal entry must be an uncompressed file named mimetype containing the MIME type application/vnd.adobe.xd, a convention similar to EPUB packaging. The file begins with the standard PK ZIP signature at offset 0, but the mimetype marker and the artwork/*/graphicContent.agc layout distinguish it from a generic ZIP.
.xd files contain project data organized in layers along with related functions. Inside an .xd archive one can find objects such as:
- images, shapes, Artboard text data, application screens or single webpage layouts,
- prototype interactions linking artboards into clickable flows,
- Guides - guidelines helpful in organizing elements into structured documents,
- a Layers section for structuring the workspace, similar to other Adobe programs,
- a
preview.pngthumbnail and aninteractions.jsonfile recording prototype links.
Adobe XD along with Creative Cloud was commonly used for designing websites and other software applications. However, Adobe put XD into maintenance mode in June 2023 - it no longer receives new features and is not included in new Creative Cloud plans, making access to legacy .xd files a growing concern. .fig files (Figma) and other design tools offer limited import support for .xd projects.
XD backup copies are created by the application automatically, so if a project source file becomes damaged the associated backup copy can be used to recover the data. XD backup copies can also be stored in cloud storage. Should no backup copy be found, user can try a different method: as .xd files are plain ZIP archives, it is sometimes possible to open the archive using third-party tools if the application reports errors. Such tools may also point to the damaged part of the archive.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn .xd is a design data file (a ZIP of JSON + assets), not executable, so opening it in Adobe XD or importing it into Figma is low-risk. The real cautions are practical: do NOT trust random "free Adobe XD viewer/converter" websites - there's no reliable standalone viewer and some such sites are scams/PUP; and treat the format as at-risk for long-term access since Adobe XD is in maintenance mode (back up your designs by exporting assets and/or migrating to Figma). Get Adobe XD only from adobe.com and Figma only from figma.com.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open XD files
Windows3 apps
Adobe XD
Paid The native editor - File > Open the .xd to view/edit artboards, components and prototypes. In maintenance mode since June 2023 and no longer sold to new users; existing CC users still have it. 
Figma (import)
Freemium Import the .xd into Figma to migrate the design (Figma's .xd import / a community plugin converts artboards, layers and styles). The main path for users without XD.
UXPin / other design tools (import)
Freemium Some design tools offer Adobe XD import to bring artboards in; fidelity varies. A fallback when Figma import is incomplete. 
macOS2 apps
Adobe XD
Paid Native macOS editor - open the .xd to view/edit and Export assets. Same maintenance-mode status as Windows.
Figma (import)
Freemium Import the .xd into Figma (browser or desktop app) to open and continue the design without Adobe XD.
Figma (browser)
Freemium In the browser, import the .xd into a Figma file to view/edit it - the most accessible way to open an .xd without installing Adobe XD. Technical details
deep spec| Container format | ZIP archive - DEFLATE compression per entry; the package begins with the standard `PK` (50 4B 03 04) local file header at byte offset 0 |
| Magic bytes | `50 4B 03 04` at offset 0 ("PK" - standard ZIP signature); format identity requires checking internal layout, not just the ZIP header |
| MIME type | `application/vnd.adobe.xd`; also accepted as `application/zip` or `application/octet-stream` by generic tools |
| Leading-entry constraint | The very first ZIP entry must be an uncompressed (`STORED`) file named `mimetype`; if it is absent or compressed, Adobe XD throws error 86 on open |
| Primary design file | `artwork/*/graphicContent.agc` - a JSON document describing artboard vector shapes, text, components and layer hierarchy |
| Prototype data | `interactions.json` in the archive root stores hotspot definitions and transition settings linking artboards into clickable prototypes |
| Preview thumbnail | A `preview.png` is embedded in the archive root and surfaced by Creative Cloud and macOS Finder for at-a-glance preview without opening the app |
| Metadata location | `META-INF/metadata.xml` holds document-level XMP metadata (title, creator, timestamps) |
| Encoding | Binary ZIP envelope; design content is UTF-8 JSON; raster assets are stored as binary PNG files inside the archive |
| Color model | Resolution-independent vector canvas; embedded raster assets are 8-bit-per-channel PNG; no single fixed bit-depth |
| Integrity check | Per-entry CRC-32 checksums (standard ZIP mechanism); no design-level cryptographic signature or hash |
| Encryption | None on the local `.xd` file itself; cloud-hosted XD documents rely on Adobe Creative Cloud account authentication |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS desktop only; no native Linux, iOS or Android application was ever released |
| Typical file size | Hundreds of KB to tens of MB; size is dominated by the number and resolution of embedded raster assets |
| ZIP entry limit | Up to 65,535 entries under standard ZIP; ZIP64 mode removes this ceiling for very large projects |
| Released | 2016 (Adobe XD, originally 'Project Comet' / Adobe Experience Design) |
| Latest version | Final feature release before maintenance mode (Adobe XD entered maintenance mode June 2023) |
| Specification | helpx.adobe.com |
XD conversions
Community Q&A
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