How to open an .ipa file on a Mac or Windows

However, if you enjoy working on mobile phone application development, or are one of those who like to explore files on your mobile and edit them for several reasons, you may have realized the large number of files that are in a single mobile without too much trouble.

And chances are you've found more than one file that has caught your attention or that you need to manage, like with files with IPA extension, so we will talk a little bit about what you need to know about this extension and how you can open it




What is an IPA file extension?

As such, an .ipa file, are files that are used to run and structure iOS applications, which means they are normally located on iPhone, iPad, iPod and more ; so you can find it in any iOS version that has been released.

How to open an .ipa file on a Mac or Windows

Indeed, the acronym IPA stands for ' iOS app package ', or in Spanish' app package for iOS ', which is basically the Apple equivalent of files with the' App 'extension on other devices; and are usually found inside a ZIP file.

But since these are files for uses iOS, it is natural to imagine that they cannot be opened in a simple way, even if they are the ones that arrive on our iPhone with every download from the App Store.

How to open an IPA file?

If you want to open an IPA file, it's really very simple to do, be it on Windows or Mac OS, you just need to double click on it. However, if you are on a PC, the system will ask you which program to open the file with IPA, for which you will have to download a specific program.




One of the ones that you can download to open an IPA file is the DMG Extractor, which is totally free and allows you to open the file to load within the program itself and see what's inside, simply by clicking on the option to 'You open' which is at the top of the program and then on "Extract".

How to open an .ipa file on a Mac or Windows

On the other hand, if downloading a program isn't really something you want to do, you can make one small change to Windows settings. Go into your Control Panel and where it says “Appearance and Personalization” you should go into the Folder Options.


In the "View" tab, go to "Advanced" and click on the " Hide extensions for known file types ”So that it is deselected.


Now, you just need to go to the IPA file you have on your PC and rename it as if it has a ZIP extension, and you can open it with your viewer. fillet ZIP like any other without problems and without having to download anything else.


However, remember that having to run the file can be a big deal, as it's impossible to run an IPA inside a PC. You must have a Mac OS with a specific ARM architecture and have Xcode to be able to properly use an iPhone simulator to properly run these files.

Remembering that you don't need to have to search the internet to get another emulator, as it can be risky, so just see here how to get it in case of confusion.

add a comment of How to open an .ipa file on a Mac or Windows
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.