.webloc File Extension

What kind of file is a .webloc?

A .webloc file is an Apple internet-location file. It stores one destination URL so macOS can present a website link as a file in Finder. Apple identifies the underlying type as com.apple.internet-location, a stored-URL data type.¹

Most .webloc files are small XML property lists with a URL key. Property lists can also use Apple's binary serialization, so an XML declaration is a useful clue but not a universal magic number.² A format-aware check should parse the property list and confirm that it contains a valid destination rather than trusting the suffix alone.

How do I open a .webloc on my computer?

• On macOS, double-click a trusted .webloc file in Finder. The system opens its destination with the appropriate URL handler, usually your default browser. Safari can create a desktop link when you drag a link from a webpage to the desktop.³
• On Windows or Linux, import the file into Poly or inspect it with a property-list-aware tool. If it is an XML property list, a text editor can reveal the stored value, but it will not validate the structure for you.
• In Poly, drop the file into the desktop sync folder to turn it into a normal Poly bookmark.

Check the complete URL before opening an unfamiliar file. Pay attention to the scheme and hostname, not only the filename or icon. A stored destination can point to a deceptive site, a download, a local resource, or an application-specific scheme.

Poly support for .webloc

Poly recognizes .webloc files as one-destination bookmarks. Imported links can be renamed, tagged, moved, shared, and searched beside ordinary files. On macOS, Poly bookmarks also appear in the sync folder as native .webloc files that open from Finder.

When the destination permits access, Poly can show a page preview and use available title, description, and supported page content for search and agent understanding. Private, removed, offline, or embedding-blocked pages can provide less context. See Bookmarks for the desktop workflow.

Poly classifies these bookmark items as text/uri-list for a consistent link experience. The on-disk .webloc property list is not the line-oriented syntax registered for text/uri-list, and IANA does not register .webloc as one of that media type's filename extensions.⁴

History of .webloc

The extension belongs to Apple's desktop internet-location convention. Its purpose is deliberately narrow: preserve a URL as a file that Finder can hand to the appropriate application. Apple still exposes the type through its Uniform Type Identifiers framework as com.apple.internet-location.¹

That file-based model makes links portable within Mac workflows. It is distinct from a Safari bookmark database and from a saved webpage. A .webloc file retains the address, not an offline copy of the destination's HTML, images, or other resources.

Working with .webloc and alternatives

Choose a format based on where the link needs to work:

To convert a .webloc, parse its property list, extract and validate the URL, then write the target format's structure. Preserve query strings, fragments, and percent-encoding unless you intentionally want a different destination. Conversion does not archive the page, and no bookmark format guarantees that a remote page will remain available.