XPS files are rare today, which is exactly why they are annoying. You receive one, you cannot open it, and you need it as a PDF, the format everyone can open. This guide shows how to convert an XPS file to PDF properly, so every page survives at its true size, with text and pictures intact.
What a real XPS conversion does
An XPS or OXPS file is a package of page descriptions, not a single picture. Inside the package are instructions for each page: where the text goes, where the pictures go, and what shapes to draw. A real converter opens that package, draws every page, its text, its pictures, and its solid shapes, and saves the drawn pages into a PDF at each page’s true size. A poor converter, by contrast, takes a screenshot of each page, which loses selectable text and makes the file much bigger. The difference matters most for long documents, where text search and small file size are the whole point of a PDF.
How to convert an XPS file to PDF
- Find the XPS or OXPS file. Files printed to XPS from Word, a browser, or the Windows XPS printer are the usual source. Confirm the extension is .xps or .oxps.
- Upload the file to the converter. Choose the file from your device and wait for it to load. Do not close the tab while it processes.
- Convert it and download the PDF. The tool draws every page and saves the drawn pages into a PDF at each page’s true size.
- Open the PDF and check every page. Flip through all pages, in order. Check that text is selectable, pictures are present, and no page is blank or cut off.
- Check the file size and name. A PDF much larger than expected may mean the pages were turned into images. Rename the file clearly, such as report.pdf, before you share it.
- Share the PDF, and keep the original. Keep the XPS file as the master copy, in case you need to convert it again later.
A worked example
A small office receives a document from a supplier as an XPS file, but nobody in the office has an XPS viewer, and the file needs to go to a client as a PDF. They upload the XPS file, convert it, and download a PDF with every page at its true size, text selectable and pictures intact. The PDF goes to the client, who opens it on any device, with no special software. If the converter had only made images of the pages, the text would not have been selectable, and the file would have been much larger.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not rename an .xps file to .pdf. A renamed file is still an XPS package, and PDF readers will refuse it.
- Do not accept a converter that only converts the first page for free and charges for the rest. Check the page count before you pay for anything.
- Do not skip the page check. Open the PDF and confirm every page is there, in order, at a readable size.
- Do not upload sensitive documents to a server converter without thinking. If the document is private, prefer a browser tool that works on your own device.
Try it faster with the free tool
The free XPS to PDF Converter below really converts your file: an XPS or OXPS file is a package of page descriptions, and this tool opens that package in your browser, draws every page, its text, its pictures, and its solid shapes, and saves the drawn pages into a PDF at each page’s true size. Files printed to XPS from Word, a browser, or the Windows XPS printer convert properly.
Try it here: XPS to PDF Converter.
Upload, convert, open, and check every page. A real XPS conversion keeps the pages, the text, and the pictures, not just a screenshot of the first page.