How to open a .pkpass file on Windows

Updated October 7, 2026

Double-click a .pkpass file on Windows and the system asks which program to open it with: none of the installed ones understand it, because it's an Apple Wallet format. There are two easy ways to view it.

Option 1: in your browser

1. Open the PKPass viewer in Edge, Chrome or Firefox.
2. Drag the file onto the window, or click “Open pass” and choose it.

You'll see the pass with its layout, colors and barcode, and you can flip it to read the back. The side panel also shows the technical details, the full pass.json and the list of images, which you can download. Everything is processed on your computer: the file is never uploaded to a server.

If you need the barcode on paper, take a screenshot with Windows + Shift + S and paste it into a document to print.

Option 2: unzip it

A .pkpass file is really a ZIP archive. If you only want the data or the images:

1. Make a copy of the file.
2. Turn on file extensions in File Explorer: View → Show → File name extensions (on Windows 10, View → File name extensions).
3. Change the copy's extension from .pkpass to .zip and open it.

Inside you'll find pass.json, which opens in Notepad, and the PNG images. This way you won't see the assembled pass or the barcode, just its parts. What is a .pkpass file explains what each file is.

Option 3: send it to your phone

• With an iPhone, email the file to yourself and open it from Mail: it will be added to Apple Wallet.
• With Android, follow how to open a .pkpass file on Android.