.pot File Extension

What kind of file is a .pot?

A .pot file usually has one of two unrelated meanings:

• A GNU gettext Portable Object Template is readable text containing source messages that need translation. It uses the same syntax as a .po catalog, but its msgstr translations are normally empty. Translators initialize or update language-specific PO files from it.¹
• A Microsoft PowerPoint 97-2003 template is a binary file that supplies reusable slide designs and formatting. It belongs to the application/vnd.ms-powerpoint family.²

Inspect the contents rather than trusting the suffix. A gettext template commonly contains a header followed by msgid and msgstr entries. It has no fixed magic bytes. A legacy PowerPoint template commonly begins with the OLE Compound File Binary signature D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1, but other Office files share that header.³

How do I open a .pot on my computer?

First open a copy in a text editor. Readable lines containing msgid and msgstr indicate a gettext template. Developers can regenerate one with xgettext, validate it with msgfmt --check, and merge its messages into an existing translation with msgmerge.⁴

If the file is binary, use Microsoft PowerPoint on Windows or macOS, or LibreOffice Impress on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Microsoft still lists .pot as the template format for PowerPoint 97 through 2003.² Opening a trusted template through the application's new-presentation workflow creates a deck based on its design.

Poly support for .pot

Poly stores, syncs, shares, versions, downloads, and finds .pot files by name. It does not infer a format from this suffix because gettext text and PowerPoint binary templates require different handling.

A file supplied as readable text may receive text preview, content indexing, and agent reading. A PowerPoint template supplied as application/vnd.ms-powerpoint may receive supported presentation processing. Those capabilities depend on correct classification, not on the .pot filename alone.

History of .pot

GNU gettext calls .pot a PO Template. Its manual explains that the t distinguishes a language-neutral template from a .po catalog for one target language. The suffix appeared after xgettext was originally specified, which is why the tool historically produced a .po name that maintainers renamed to .pot.¹⁵

Microsoft separately used .pot for PowerPoint 97-2003 templates. Current PowerPoint uses .potx for templates without macros and .potm for macro-enabled templates, while retaining .pot compatibility.²

Working with .pot and alternatives

Do not translate directly in the shared gettext template unless that is your project's workflow. Initialize a locale-specific .po file and merge later source changes into it. For a PowerPoint template, open it in a compatible presentation app and save a reviewed .potx or .potm copy. Check fonts, layouts, embedded objects, and animations after conversion.