.webloc

What is a .webloc file?

Apple's bookmark file — drag a link to your desktop and this is what you get.

Safe format
Type Misc
By Apple
MIME application/x-webloc

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What is it

WEBLOC is macOS's equivalent of Windows .url files — a small file that stores a URL and opens it in your default browser when double-clicked. Drag a link from Safari (or any browser) to your desktop or a Finder folder, and macOS creates a .webloc file automatically.

The format is a binary property list (plist) containing a single key-value pair: the URL string. Older versions used XML plist encoding, which you could read in a text editor; newer macOS versions use binary plist, which you can inspect with `plutil -p file.webloc` in Terminal. Either way, the file is typically under 1 KB — it's just a pointer to a web address.

WEBLOC files are a macOS-only format. They won't work on Windows or Linux without conversion. If you need cross-platform bookmark sharing, copy the URL itself rather than sending the .webloc file. Some third-party tools can batch-convert .webloc files to .url (Windows) format or plain text URL lists.

Technical details
Full Name
macOS Web Location
MIME Type
application/x-webloc
Developer
Apple
Magic Bytes
62 70 6C 69 73 74 (bplist)
Safety
.webloc is a known, safe format.
What opens it
Any macOS browser
FREE macOS
Finder
FREE macOS
plutil (Terminal)
FREE macOS
FAQ
How do I open a .webloc file on Windows?
Windows doesn't natively support .webloc. You can open it in a text editor (if it's XML plist) to find the URL, or use a third-party converter. Some text editors and utilities can extract the URL from binary plists too.
How do I see what URL a .webloc file points to?
On macOS, open Terminal and run: plutil -p yourfile.webloc — this prints the URL. Or right-click → Get Info in Finder and look at the file details.
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