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Data file

What is a .xmp file?

A .xmp file is an Extensible Metadata Platform Packet. This is a data file — structured information used by a program rather than read directly. Confusingly, this extension has been used by 2 different formats over the years — they're all listed below.

This extension has been used by more than one format

2 different formats have claimed .xmp over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.

How to open a .xmp file

  • Start with the program that produced it; that's almost always the right tool.
  • Open it in a text editor to see whether it's readable text or binary.
  • For database formats, DB Browser for SQLite or LibreOffice Base can often import it.

The registry records this extension against Extensible Metadata Platform Packet, Extensible Metadata Platform Format, so software from that family is the most likely match.

How to convert a .xmp file

  • If you can view the data, exporting to .csv is usually the most portable option.

The technical record

For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .xmp.

Format nameVersionMIME typePUID
Extensible Metadata Platform Packetfmt/570
Extensible Metadata Platform Formatfmt/986

Got another one?