Extract text from Property list files (PLIST)
To convert PLIST Property lists to another format, you need Apple Xcode or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Property List File" file type, you need software like Apple Xcode or a similar tool.
A .plist (Property List) file is a configuration file used primarily within the Apple ecosystem, including macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. It stores application settings, user preferences, bundle information, and system properties. These files are typically created and managed by Apple frameworks and can be edited using Apple Xcode or the native plutil command-line utility.
The main disadvantage of the .plist format is its lack of cross-platform portability. While older versions were saved as standard XML, modern Apple applications default to a proprietary binary format to save space and load faster. If you attempt to open a binary .plist in a standard text editor on Windows or Linux, you will only see garbled characters. Even when dealing with the XML variant, the deeply nested <dict> and <array> tag structures are annoying to read or integrate into external systems. Furthermore, Apple Photos uses .plist files to store non-destructive image adjustment metadata alongside JPG files, making those edits completely inaccessible outside of Apple's photo software.
Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser. For human readability on Windows or Linux, convert binary .plist files to standard XML or TXT. For web development or modern API integration, convert the .plist structure directly to JSON or YAML. This allows you to easily extract Apple configuration data without needing a Mac or specialized software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PLIST file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PNG, TXT, SHORTCUT, ZIP, FILE1, DOCUMENTIDENTIFIER, JPG, DB, IWA, XML, BACKUPRECORD, LIST and QUARANTINEEVENTSV2 files.
If you want to convert PLIST file to XML, JSON, MOBILECONFIG, CSV, JPG, YAML, INI, CFG, CONF, CONFIG, YML or TOML, you can use Apple Xcode or similar software from the "Application Configuration Settings" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert ZSHRC, CONF, RCFILE, GITCONFIG, RC, BASHRC, CONFIG, PROFILE, INI, PREFS, CFG or PROPERTIES files to PLIST, try Apple Xcode or another comparable tool in the "Application Configuration Settings" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our PLIST converter.