How to view multiple xps files

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Is there a way to view multiple XPS files without having to open them one at a time? The way IrfanView works with image files, for example, is that I can open just a single file, and then use the left or right arrow key to navigate through all other such files that are contained within the same folder. I’d like to be able to do something equally convenient with XPS files. But unless I’ve missed some subtlety, Microsoft’s XPS viewer doesn’t work that way. Instead, it opens only one file at a time, and then requires me to go through the same steps to open just a single other XPS file, and so on, and so on, which makes it extremely time-consuming to view more than just a few files.

Googling, the only thing I found that seems to touch on the point is found here: < https://smallbusiness.chron.com/merge-xps-documents-43613.html >, which discusses how to do it by merging the XPS files in MS Word. Like so: in a blank Word file, go to Insert | Object | Text from file | navigate to and select the files | Insert | Save the Word file. But that didn’t work for me. When I clicked “Insert”, up popped an error message stating that “Word found unreadable context… [etc.].” Maybe that web page is talking about some earlier version of Windows or Word; maybe not. I just know it didn’t work for me.

I have Win 10 Version 1909 and the latest version of Word.

Are there any suggestions on how to deal with this? Using a format other than XPS is not an option, because I already have the XPS files that I need to view.

Thanks.

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Try this solution : https://superuser.com/questions/1113578/open-with-on-multiple-files

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BobStr

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Thanks for the reply, but I’m guessing (more than a guess, actually) that it’s far beyond my rudimentary understanding of computers. I’m capable of following, by rote, simple instructions on how to edit the registry (and in such cases I can usually form some concept of why a particular edit works; if I can’t, I often don’t proceed), but once any degree of actual depth of understanding is required, I quickly get lost.

To illustrate, I’ll not-so-briefly describe how far I got it trying to understand that web page. As far as I can tell (or misunderstand), it deals exclusively with how to modify the registry in order to open multiple JPG files in Chrome, and not multiple XPS files in the XPS Viewer. So I assume that you’re proposing that there’s an analogous way to proceed with XPS files (to be viewed in the XPS Viewer, or in Chrome?; I’m not sure).

I don’t have Chrome. I could easily install it, but since XPS files don’t open in Firefox or Edge, I suspect that Chrome isn’t really the solution being suggested for me. Instead, is the idea that I make only an analogous edit to the registry, replacing the Chrome string with a string for the XPS Viewer?

Assuming that’s the case, consider the screen capture I’ve labeled no. “1.” It seems to be the substance of the suggested solution. It has a line that reads like so:
@=”\ “C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome.exe\” \”%1\””

Am I supposed to insert something in place of that, so that it directs whatever mysterious thing goes on to the XPS Viewer instead of to Chrome? Proceeding with that interpretation, I used Windows Search to locate the XPS Viewer. When it came up in the start menu, I right clicked on it, then clicked on Properties. That got me a pop-up saying that the target was %systemroot%\system32\xpsrchvw.exe , instead of something located in C:\\Program Files (x86). Is that the thing to be substituted somewhere in the quoted string that begins with “C:\\ ? If so, I’m at a loss to figure out exactly what that string should say.

I’ve gone on at some length to give you (and anyone else who responds) an idea of what I’m capable of understanding and of not understanding at all.

I do appreciate your taking the time to respond, but, as you can see, your suggestion so far has me confused.

I’d appreciate any further thoughts on this issue.

Thanks.

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[Alex5723]

You are correct. You have to replace the chrome.exe full path with the full patch c:\\…of the app Word, XPS Viewer… you want to use.

%SYSTEMROOT% = C:\Windows so the path for xps viewer is C:\\Windows\system32\xpsrchvw.exe.

You will have to find the registry entry with ‘file association’ to XPS (the registry entry in the post is for ‘image’).

Before changing, adding registry entries make a full backup of the registry so you can restore in case something goes wrong.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by Alex5723.

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If you select multiple xps files and hit enter, each should open in its own xps viewer instance.

Win 11 home - 24H2
Attitude is a choice...Choose wisely

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BobStr wrote:

Using a format other than XPS is not an option, because I already have the XPS files that I need to view.

The .XPS file format alternative to .PDF just seems like another MS initiative (from the Vista era) which never gained support… much like MS’ failed Silverlight alternative to Flash in its day.

Thinking outside the box, how about bulk converting your XPS files to PDF format… which Win 10’s File Explorer *does* support natively for Preview rather than opening?

Would that work for you?

I realise that you already have many .XPS files but IMO it’s not a format that’s well supported (nor ever will be) by comparison to the more widely-used PDF format.

So, IMO it comes down to:

a) trying to find solutions now and in the future to issues with a failed technology that is now largely unsupported by Microsoft

or

b) moving on… yet with data now converted to a currently-supported format.

Sorry but… ‘beating a flogged horse’ springs to mind…

Hope this helps…

EDIT: As a BTW, I remove Win 10’s XPS support services from devices of family/friends… just so they don’t have to run into issues of this kind.

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Rick Corbett wrote:

bulk converting your XPS files to PDF

Ghostscript is a good tool for the job.

cheers, Paul

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