How to open .XAPK files (Android app packages) on Android, Windows and Linux

You downloaded an app from a site other than Google Play and got a .xapk or .apks file instead of the usual .apk. Tap it on your phone and nothing installs; Android just says it can’t open the file.

These are archives that bundle an app’s APK files, and sometimes its game data, into one download. Folders opens them like a folder on Android, Windows and Linux, for free, so you can see what’s inside and extract it. Installing one needs an installer made for split apps, and this guide covers that too.

What is a .XAPK file?

An ordinary Android app comes as one .apk file, which Android installs when you tap it. Since 2021, though, new apps on Google Play have been published as Android App Bundles, and Google Play builds a set of split APKs for each phone: a base APK plus separate pieces for its language, screen density and processor type. Sites that offer apps outside Google Play needed a way to pass such a set around as one file, and that’s where these formats come from.

Extension	What it is
.xapk	A ZIP with an app’s APK or split APKs, a manifest.json, an icon and sometimes OBB game data. Not an official Google format; popularised by APKPure
.apks	A ZIP of split APKs, as made by Google’s bundletool and used by installers such as SAI
.apk	One installable app, for comparison: Folders treats it as an installer, not an archive to browse

In an XAPK, manifest.json describes the app: its package name and version, and usually the minimum Android version and the permissions it asks for. Large games may also include an Android/obb/ folder with expansion files (.obb) holding the game’s data, which has to end up in Android/obb/<package name>/ on the phone.

An APKS made by bundletool holds a toc.pb file (its table of contents) and the splits, with names that say what each one is for, such as base-master.apk, base-arm64_v8a.apk or base-en.apk.

How to open a .XAPK file with Folders

1. Install Folders from the download page and allow it to see your files.
2. Find the file (usually in Download), or search for .xapk or .apks.
3. Tap it. Folders opens it as an archive, listing the APKs and other files inside.

From a browser or another app on Android, choose Open with → Folders. On Windows and Linux, double-click the file in Folders; on Windows you can also right-click it in File Explorer and choose Open with → Folders.

What you can do with it in Folders

• See what you downloaded. The list shows each APK and its size, so you can check the bundle has splits for your phone (arm64_v8a for most current phones) and your language.
• Read the manifest. Tap manifest.json in an XAPK to read the package name, version and permissions in Folders’ text editor.
• See the icon. icon.png opens in the image viewer.
• Summary and Archive info: the number of files and their unpacked size.
• Search in archive and Sort in big bundles.
• Extract all, or select files and Extract selected, for example to copy out the APKs or the OBB folder. Extraction shows its progress and can be cancelled.

Folders doesn’t install XAPK or APKS bundles. That takes an installer that can put several APKs on the phone in one go.

Other ways to open .XAPK files

To install them:

• The site’s own installer app. APKPure’s app installs its XAPK files, OBB data included.
• SAI (Split APKs Installer), a free, open-source installer for .apks and .xapk files.
• A computer with adb. Extract the APKs, then run adb install-multiple with all of them; for a bundletool .apks, bundletool install-apks --apks=app.apks.
• Better still: install the app from Google Play or the developer’s own site if you can.

Problems opening a .XAPK file?

Tapping it doesn’t install anything. Android installs single APKs by tapping, not bundles. Use one of the installers above.

“App not installed” after extracting and tapping base.apk. The base APK isn’t the whole app; its splits have to be installed with it. Use a split installer instead.

“There was a problem parsing the package”. The app may need a newer Android version (check the minimum in manifest.json), or the bundle may hold splits for a different processor type. Look for a version made for your phone.

The game installs but asks to download data, or crashes. Its OBB file didn’t reach Android/obb/<package name>/. The XAPK installer normally puts it there. Since Android 11, ordinary apps can’t write to other apps’ folders there, so let the installer do it.

Questions people ask

Can I open an XAPK file on Android? Yes. Folders opens it so you can see and extract what’s inside. To install it, use a split-APK installer.

XAPK vs APK vs APKS: what’s the difference? An APK is one installable app. XAPK and APKS are ZIP bundles of several APKs (and, for XAPK, sometimes game data) that need a special installer.

How do I convert XAPK to APK? If the XAPK holds a single full APK plus OBB data, you can extract that APK. Split APKs can’t simply be renamed into one; developer tools can merge them, but the merged app has to be re-signed, and it then can’t take updates from the original source. A split installer is easier.

Is an XAPK file safe? It’s only as safe as the site it came from, since bundles from unofficial sources can contain modified apps. Looking inside with Folders is safe, as nothing is installed, and Google Play Protect checks apps when they’re installed.

Related guides: ZIP, RAR and 7z files and JAR, WAR and AAR files. Or browse all 382 file types Folders opens.