OpenFileKit

About OpenFileKit

OpenFileKit is a small collection of free tools for files that are awkward to open: a saved email someone forwarded you, a mailbox export, a GPS track from a watch, a map file from a colleague. Each tool does one job and runs entirely in your browser.

Why it exists

Opening one of these files usually means installing a program you will use once, or uploading the file to a website you know nothing about. Neither is a good trade for a private email or the route of your morning run. Browsers are now capable enough to read these formats directly, so the file never has to leave your computer.

How the tools work

When you choose a file, JavaScript running in your browser tab reads it and shows the result. The file is not uploaded to a server, and there is no account to create. Closing the tab discards it. Theprivacy page explains this in detail, including the two cases where your browser does contact another server: map background tiles, and images in an email if you choose to load them.

What you can do here

Email tools

  • EML viewer: Read an .eml file: sender, date, message and attachments.
  • EML to PDF: Save one or many .eml emails as PDF, headers included.
  • MSG viewer: Open an Outlook .msg file without Outlook and save its attachments.
  • MSG to PDF: Save Outlook .msg emails as PDF without Outlook.
  • MBOX viewer: Search and read a Gmail Takeout or Thunderbird .mbox archive.

Map tools

  • KML viewer: Show a KML or KMZ file on a map and list its placemarks.
  • GPX viewer: See a GPX track on a map with distance, elevation and time.
  • KML to GPX: Convert KML or KMZ to GPX for Garmin and other GPS devices.
  • GPX to KML: Convert GPX tracks and waypoints to KML for Google Earth.

Who runs it

OpenFileKit is built and maintained by an independent developer. It is not a company and is not affiliated with Microsoft, Google, Garmin, Mozilla or any other maker of the software and devices mentioned on this site.

How it is paid for

The tools are free and have no paid tier. The site is funded by advertising, which is kept away from the tools themselves so that it never gets in the way of opening a file.

Open-source software

The tools are built on open-source work, including Astro, Svelte, postal-mime, msgreader, DOMPurify, togeojson, fflate and MapLibre GL JS, and the Geist typeface. Maps come from OpenFreeMap, which is built on OpenMapTiles and data from OpenStreetMap contributors. The fulllicence notices are published with the site.

Get in touch

If a file does not open, a conversion looks wrong, or you would like a format added, thecontact page has the address to write to.