How to Edit an XPS File

XPS is a fixed-layout output format — the XPS equivalent of a printed page. It has no paragraph structure, no style information, and no concept of editable content. You cannot open an XPS file in a word processor and change a sentence the way you would a .docx. This page explains what you can realistically do, in order of how well each option works.

Option 1: edit the original source document

This is the correct approach when the source is available. An XPS is typically created by printing to the Microsoft XPS Document Writer from Word, Excel, or another application. If you have the original .docx, .xlsx, or other source file, edit that and re-export to XPS or PDF as needed.

If you no longer have the source, or you received the XPS from someone else and only have the XPS, then one of the conversion routes below is the only option.

Option 2: convert XPS to PDF, then edit the PDF

Converting to PDF is the first step in most editing workflows when the original source is unavailable. The converter above produces a PDF that preserves selectable, searchable text. Once you have the PDF:

• Adobe Acrobat Pro has the most capable PDF editing tools — text edits, image replacement, page reordering.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) can fill form fields and add comments, but cannot edit body text.
• LibreOffice Draw can open PDFs and edit text blocks, though layout fidelity varies.

The quality of text editing in a PDF editor depends on the font being embedded and accessible. Results are better when the original XPS embedded its fonts (most do).

Option 3: convert XPS to Word via PDF

If you need a fully editable Word document, the two-step route is XPS → PDF → DOCX. Convert the XPS to PDF here, then use Word's Open PDF feature (File → Open → select the PDF) or a dedicated PDF-to-Word converter. Word will reconstruct paragraph structure from the PDF's text positions, which works acceptably for simple text-heavy documents. Complex layouts with columns, tables, or unusual fonts will need manual cleanup.

See the convert XPS to Word guide for the full step-by-step workflow.

What you cannot do

To be direct about the limits:

• You cannot open an XPS in Microsoft Word — Word refuses the format with a 'file is corrupted' error, even though it can write XPS files.
• You cannot use the XPS Viewer to make any edits — it is a read-only viewer.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader and Acrobat Pro do not open XPS at all.
• No tool produces a perfectly editable reconstruction of a complex XPS — any conversion involves some loss of structure.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit an XPS file in Word?

No. Word can write XPS files via Save As, but it cannot open them. Attempting to open an XPS in Word gives a 'file is corrupted' error. Convert to PDF first, then open the PDF in Word if you need an editable document.

Is there an XPS editor I can download?

There is no mainstream XPS editor — the format was not designed for editing. The practical route is to convert to PDF and use a PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat Pro, or convert to a Word document for full re-editing.

Can I edit an XPS file on a Mac?

Not directly. Convert it to PDF using XPS2PDF.co.uk, then edit the PDF in Preview (for annotations) or Adobe Acrobat Pro (for text edits). For a fully editable document, open the PDF in Word on Mac.

Will converting XPS to PDF lose any content?

The conversion preserves the visual layout, embedded fonts, and selectable text. It does not produce an editable document structure — paragraphs, styles, and tracked changes do not exist in XPS and cannot be recovered. The PDF is a faithful visual copy.

How do I convert XPS to PDF to start editing?

Upload your .xps or .oxps file at XPS2PDF.co.uk. The converter is free, requires no account, and returns a PDF with searchable text that you can open in any PDF editor.

Last updated: June 2026