How do I open a binary plist on Windows?

Drop it on this page. Binary property lists start with "bplist00" and cannot be read as text; this page decodes them in the browser, with no need for a Mac, Xcode or plutil.

Can I edit the plist here?

No. This page only shows what the file holds. To change a setting, edit the file with Xcode or plutil on a Mac, or with a property list editor.

What are the UID values in some files?

Files written by NSKeyedArchiver store objects in a list and refer to them by number. A UID is one of those references: "object #12" is item 12 of the $objects list in the same file.

Is my plist uploaded?

No. The file is read by this browser tab on your own device. Settings files can hold account names, paths and other private details, which is a good reason not to upload them.

Stays on your computer How this works

Free online PLIST viewer: open binary and XML property lists

Read an Apple .plist file, binary or XML, as a tree of keys and values, on Windows, Linux or any computer, without Xcode. The file is read in your browser and is not uploaded.

Drop a .plist file here, or click to choose oneIt is opened by your browser, on this computer. Nothing is uploaded.

About the PLIST viewer

A .plist (property list) file is how macOS and iOS store settings and app information: preferences, an app's Info.plist, iPhone backup manifests, Safari bookmarks. Most are saved in a binary form that looks like gibberish in a text editor, and outside a Mac there is nothing built in to read them.

This page reads both the binary and the XML forms and lays the contents out as a tree you can open, close and search. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and once you have used it, it keeps working offline.

What you can do

Open binary (bplist00) and XML property lists
Browse dictionaries and lists as a tree, with each value's type
Search every key and value, with the path to each match
See dates in full, numbers and true/false values as they are stored, and data as its size and first bytes
Property lists stored inside data values, as NSKeyedArchiver saves them, are opened in place

How to open a PLIST file

Drop the .plist file on the box above, or click the box and choose it.
The top two levels open straight away; click a key to open or close it, or use Expand all.
Type in the search box to find a key or value anywhere in the file.

Questions

How do I open a binary plist on Windows?: Drop it on this page. Binary property lists start with "bplist00" and cannot be read as text; this page decodes them in the browser, with no need for a Mac, Xcode or plutil.
Can I edit the plist here?: No. This page only shows what the file holds. To change a setting, edit the file with Xcode or plutil on a Mac, or with a property list editor.
What are the UID values in some files?: Files written by NSKeyedArchiver store objects in a list and refer to them by number. A UID is one of those references: "object #12" is item 12 of the $objects list in the same file.
Is my plist uploaded?: No. The file is read by this browser tab on your own device. Settings files can hold account names, paths and other private details, which is a good reason not to upload them.

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