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Plist to JSON

Convert Apple Plist XML files to JSON. Free online Plist to JSON converter. No signup, 100% private, all processing in your browser.

How it works

The Plist to JSON converter transforms Apple Property List (.plist) files β€” used by macOS, iOS, and Xcode β€” into JSON. Supports both XML format (.plist) and binary format (.bplist). Use it to read iOS/macOS app preferences, configuration files, and Info.plist contents without a Mac.

Apple .plist files are pervasive in the Apple ecosystem: every macOS app has a ~/Library/Preferences/com.app.name.plist storing its settings. iOS apps use Info.plist for permissions, bundle IDs, and launch configuration. Xcode project files are plists. macOS system configuration in /Library/Preferences is plist format. This tool makes them readable as JSON on any platform.

How to use it: upload a .plist file (XML or binary format) or paste XML plist content. The tool converts it to JSON. For binary plist files, the tool first decodes the binary format before converting to JSON.

Plist types mapped to JSON: - <string> β†’ JSON string - <integer>, <real> β†’ JSON number - <true>, <false> β†’ JSON boolean - <date> β†’ JSON string (ISO 8601) - <data> β†’ JSON string (Base64 encoded) - <array> β†’ JSON array - <dict> β†’ JSON object

Binary plist: binary plist files (.bplist) start with the magic bytes 62706c6973743030. The tool detects and decodes the binary format automatically.

Privacy: plist parsing runs in the browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the binary plist format and how do I tell if my file is binary?
Binary plist files start with the magic bytes 'bplist00' (ASCII). If you open the file in a text editor and the first characters are 'bplist', it's binary β€” not human-readable XML. This tool auto-detects binary vs. XML format and decodes binary plist files before converting to JSON.
How is NSDate (the <date> type) represented in JSON?
<date> values in plist are stored as ISO 8601 strings (e.g., 2024-01-15T10:30:00Z) and output as JSON strings in the same format. They are not converted to Unix timestamps β€” preserve the ISO format for maximum compatibility with date-parsing libraries.
Can this read macOS preference files from ~/Library/Preferences?
Yes. Copy the .plist file from ~/Library/Preferences/ (on Mac) to your desktop and upload it here. Binary plist files (most modern macOS preference files) are decoded automatically. Note: some preference files use encrypted data fields which cannot be decoded without the encryption key.
How is the <data> type (binary data) represented in JSON?
<data> elements contain binary data encoded as Base64 in the plist file. They are output as Base64-encoded JSON strings with a type hint. If you know what the binary data represents (an image, a serialized object), you can decode the Base64 string separately.