Plist to JSON Converter

Convert Apple Plist files (XML or binary format) to JSON, and back. Works for macOS/iOS config files, Info.plist, preference files. No Mac required.

1.0.0
Version
Auth
Batch

Upload your .plist file

XML or binary plist • Max 20MB

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Plist to JSON Converter Tutorial

What is a .plist file?

A Property List (plist) is Apple's standard format for storing serialized objects — used everywhere on macOS and iOS for configuration, preferences, app metadata (Info.plist), launch daemons, and more. They come in two flavors:

  • XML plist — human-readable, verbose
  • Binary plist — compact, unreadable without tooling (bplist00 magic header)

Why This Tool Exists

If you're on Windows or Linux and receive a .plist file, or you want to read/edit an Info.plist without installing Xcode, binary plists are opaque. This tool opens both formats in your browser and converts to JSON you can actually read.

Special Type Handling

Plist supports types JSON doesn't. To keep round-trip conversions lossless, we encode them as marker dicts:

  • Bytes → {"__bytes__": "<base64>"}
  • Date → {"__date__": "ISO timestamp"}
  • UID → {"__uid__": N}

These markers are automatically restored when converting JSON back to plist.

Common Use Cases

  • Read Info.plist from an .ipa or .app bundle on any OS
  • Inspect LaunchAgents / LaunchDaemons configs
  • Edit preference files manually, then convert back
  • Diff two plist files by comparing their JSON output
  • Bulk-process plist configs with any JSON-aware tool