Open XAP files using Windows Explorer

October 11, 2009 · 1 min read

Silverlight bundles its executables into a single file with a XAP extension.  This is really just a zip file.  You can open the XAP and modify the contents just as you would any ZIP file.  By default windows explorer doesn’t know how to open XAP files.

The following reg file adds the metadata to tell Explorer to treat XAP files like compressed folders.  I found this file somewhere on the internet, my apologies for not being able to site the source.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xap]
"PerceivedType"="compressed"
"Content Type"="application/x-silverlight-app"
@="CompressedFolder"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xap\CompressedFolder]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xap\OpenWithProgids]
"CompressedFolder"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.xap\PersistentHandler]
@="{098f2470-bae0-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"

The file is available for download here

After apply the registry changes, you’ll be able to open XAP files directly in Windows Explorer.

This article is part of the GWB Archives. Original Author: ChrisD

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