Microsoft is
known not only for Windows operating system but also for development of
extensions which not many of the people are familiar with. Microsoft
never tends to stop developing, releasing programs and extensions like
DOCX file format, forcing people to download Microsoft 2007, or find a
alternative way to open those files!
In this article, we will look at Microsoft extension, named XPS, and we’ll learn more about XPS extension, which is an alternative for PDF format.
In this article, we will look at Microsoft extension, named XPS, and we’ll learn more about XPS extension, which is an alternative for PDF format.
What is XPS File Extension?
XPS is XML Paper Specification which is used in Windows Printing machine and doesn’t support non Microsoft platforms.
Now the problem is “How to open XPS files on your computer ?” If you are on the Windows Vista platform then there is no need to download any plugin or software to open XPS files, double click on the saved XPS file to view the content! This is because both the .NET framework and XPS file viewer is pre-installed on Windows Vista.
Convert XPS File to PDF Format.
If you are downloading any Windows user Manual or Ebook guide then you will find files in XPS and PDF format. Though you can convert xps to pdf files and open them in your PDF viewer but another alternative to open & view XPS files are suggested here (For other platform such as Windows XP or Windows server 2003).
Ways to open XPS files :
There are a couple of easy-to-do ways to open and edit XML Paper Specification format files on your Windows-only machine. The way I’d recommend is to use addons which are freely available for both Windows and Mac OS X users.
So, if you want to open files ending with the .XPS extension, here are the most preferable way to do so:
- Install Microsoft Office Additional Addin
Microsoft office comes with an
additional option to install the addin to deal with XPS and PDF file
extension.Users having Office 2007 can use below link to download the addin.
After Downloading completes, install it and you will be able
to open XPS file in Office itself..
- Open XPS File in Firefox browser
If you are not using Internet
explorer for some reason and want to open .XPS on Firefox then download this IE tab
extension (might not work on Firefox latest versions).
Restart the Firefox browser, configure the settings and you
are ready to open, read XPS format file without sweating bullets.
- Viewing XPS Files on Windows XP
Microsoft provides free XPS reader which is 2.8mb and can be
downloaded from here but make sure you have .NET framework installed on your
PC! If not you will be asked to download the missing .Net framework.
- Open XPS File in Internet Explorer
After opening Internet explorer,
click on File, then Open and Choose your .XPS file. Note that you will be asked
to open in a new tab to view the file. So, in simple words, yes, you can also
set Internet Explorer as the default program to read XPS file!
