How to Open XAR Files on Mac

UnFox opens XAR (eXtensible ARchive) files on Mac by extracting their contents to a folder. XAR is the archive format used internally by macOS .pkg installer packages. UnFox reads the XAR table of contents and extracts all payload files, making it useful for inspecting installer contents before running them.

What Is a XAR File and How Does macOS Use It?

XAR is an archive format originally developed by Apple and later adopted as an open standard. macOS uses XAR as the container format for .pkg installer packages. Each .pkg file is a XAR archive containing a Bill of Materials, package metadata (PackageInfo), and a compressed payload with the files to be installed. Developers and system administrators inspect XAR contents to verify what a .pkg installer will write to disk before running it.

How Do You Extract a XAR File on Mac?

Drag the .xar or .pkg file onto UnFox. The app reads the XAR table of contents (stored as XML) and extracts all archive entries to a folder.

Tip

Extract a .pkg installer with UnFox to review its contents before running it. No files are written to system directories.

You can inspect the Bill of Materials, read the PackageInfo metadata, and examine the compressed payload. This approach is safer than running an installer because no files are written to system directories.

Marcel Iseli

Creator of UnFox · Indie Developer

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Marcel Iseli is an indie developer and the creator of UnFox. He builds native macOS and iOS utilities focused on privacy, simplicity, and zero tracking. Based in Switzerland, every app he ships is a one time purchase with no subscriptions and no data collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

UnFox extracts .pkg files (which use XAR format) to a folder for inspection. You can view the included files, scripts, and metadata without executing the installer.

XAR was developed at Apple but released as an open standard. It is used primarily in macOS .pkg installers. UnFox extracts XAR archives on any Mac running macOS 14 or later.