File Extension Guide📖 What is a Sketch File?
A Sketch file is a design document created by Sketch, a vector and interface design app. It uses the .sketch extension and holds the artwork for a design project, most often a user interface. Inside are the layers, shapes, text, images and reusable components that make up a screen or a set of screens, along with the artboards they sit on.
Sketch is made by Sketch B.V. and runs on the Mac, which is the main thing to know about the format. It is popular with designers for building app icons and the interfaces of mobile and web apps, because its tools are tuned for that kind of work. When a designer saves a project, it becomes a .sketch file on disk.
Since Sketch 43, the format is open and based on JSON, a common text data format. A .sketch file is really a bundle of JSON data with a preview image inside, which means other tools and even scripts can read it. That openness is why apps like Figma and Adobe XD can import a Sketch file rather than only Sketch being able to open it.
The Sketch design app is different from Sketchbook, a drawing and painting app from a separate company. Sketchbook saves its own layered files rather than .sketch files, so if your file came from Sketchbook it opens in that app, not in Sketch.
⚡ Quick Facts
| Created by | The Sketch app, from Sketch B.V. |
| Extension | .sketch |
| File type | UI and vector design document |
| Format | Open, based on JSON |
| Main platform | macOS |
| Main use | App icons, mobile and web interfaces |
| Holds | Layers, shapes, text, images, components |
| Opens natively in | Sketch on Mac |
| Also opens in | Figma, Adobe XD and others |
| Open format since | Sketch 43 |
📦 What is Inside a Sketch File?
A Sketch file is a design project rather than a single image. It is packaged as a bundle of JSON data with a preview picture, holding all the pieces of the design. This diagram shows the main parts.
Because the data is JSON, a Sketch file can be read by tools other than Sketch, and even changed by a script. Technically the file is a ZIP archive, so renaming a copy to .zip and extracting it reveals the JSON data and the preview image inside. The preview is what lets some programs show a thumbnail of the design without opening the whole project.
💻 How to Open a Sketch File
The Sketch app is Mac only, so there is no Sketch program for Windows. That does not mean you are stuck. Other design tools open the format, and there are ways to view a .sketch file on any system.
On a Mac
The natural choice is the Sketch app itself. Open it and choose File then Open, then pick your .sketch file. Adobe XD on the Mac can also open a Sketch file directly, and macOS can show a quick preview of the design without opening any editor.
Without the Sketch app
You do not need Sketch to see the design. Figma opens a .sketch file by importing it, and browser-based editors like Photopea open one too. These work on any operating system, which matters for anyone who is not on a Mac.
🪟 How to Open a Sketch File on Windows
Since Sketch has no Windows version, Windows users open a .sketch file through a tool that runs in the browser or on any system. These are the reliable routes.
Use Figma
Figma runs in a browser on any system. Import the .sketch file into Figma and it opens as an editable design, which is the most common way Windows users handle one.
Use a web editor
Browser tools such as Photopea open a Sketch file with nothing to install. They are handy for viewing a design or making a quick change on a Windows PC.
Just to view it
When viewing matters more than editing, an online Sketch viewer displays the design in the browser. That is plenty for a file sent to you for review.
For editing on Windows, Figma is the usual answer, since it turns the Sketch file into a design you can work with and does not depend on owning a Mac.
🔄 How to Open a Sketch File in Figma
Figma can import a Sketch file and convert it into an editable Figma design, which is how many teams move work between the two tools. The steps are quick.
Start the import
In the Figma file browser, choose the option to create a new file from a Sketch file, or drag the .sketch file straight into the browser window.
Let it convert
Figma reads the file and turns it into a Figma design. Artboards become frames and Sketch symbols become Figma components, so the structure carries across.
Check the result
Review the imported design, since some effects may shift between the two tools. Saving from the latest Sketch version first gives the cleanest import.
One thing to keep in mind is that the import is a one-way copy. Changes you later make in the original Sketch file do not flow into the Figma version, so decide which tool is the master before you move a project across.
⚔️ Sketch vs Figma
Sketch and Figma are the two best-known interface design tools, and the .sketch and .fig files are how each stores its work. The main differences come down to platform and where the work lives.
| Aspect | Sketch | Figma |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Mac only | Browser, so any system |
| File | .sketch on your disk | Stored in the cloud, or a .fig export |
| Collaboration | Added through the workspace | Real-time in the browser by design |
| Opens the other's files | Can import Figma files | Can import Sketch files |
Both are strong UI design tools that read each other's files, so a team is not locked in. The practical split is that Sketch is a Mac app with local files, while Figma runs anywhere in a browser, which is often why Windows users end up in Figma.
🔀 Related Design Formats
Sketch sits among several design file formats, each tied to a particular tool. They all store interface or graphic design work under their own extensions.
.fig | Figma's format, the main alternative to Sketch, stored in the cloud and exportable as a file. |
.xd | Adobe XD's design format, another interface design tool that also opens Sketch files. |
.psd | Adobe Photoshop's format, used more for image editing than interface design but common in design work. |
.ai | Adobe Illustrator's vector format, used for logos and illustrations that often feed into a design. |
.svg | The open vector format, handy for moving individual icons and shapes between design tools without quality loss. |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
On a Mac, open it in the Sketch app with File then Open, or in Adobe XD. Without Sketch, or on Windows, import it into Figma or open it in a browser editor like Photopea, both of which work on any system. When you just want to look at the design and not change it, an online Sketch viewer displays it in the browser.
A Sketch file holds a design project made in the Sketch app, most often a user interface. Designers use it for app icons and the screens of mobile and web apps, building each screen from layers, shapes, text and reusable components on artboards. It is a working design document, not a finished image.
The Sketch app is Mac only, so on Windows you use a tool that runs anywhere. Figma is the usual choice, since it imports a .sketch file and turns it into an editable design in the browser. Browser editors like Photopea also open one, and an online Sketch viewer works when you simply want to view the design. None of these need a Mac.
Yes. Figma imports a .sketch file and converts it into a Figma design, with artboards becoming frames and Sketch symbols becoming Figma components. In the Figma file browser, choose to create a new file from a Sketch file, or drag the file in. The import is a one-way copy, so later edits in Sketch do not appear in Figma.
Because Sketch is a Mac-only app, so Windows has no program registered to open a .sketch file, and double-clicking it does nothing useful. The file is not broken. Open it instead in Figma or a browser editor, both of which run on Windows and read the Sketch format. This is the normal experience for Windows users sent a Sketch file.
Both are interface design tools. Sketch is a Mac app that saves .sketch files on your computer, while Figma runs in a browser on any system and keeps work in the cloud. Figma is built around real-time collaboration, and each tool can import the other's files. For Windows users, Figma is usually the practical choice since Sketch does not run on their system.
No. A Sketch file is an editable design project, not a flat image. It stores separate layers, shapes, text and reusable components across artboards, all as JSON data, which is what lets designers keep changing it. It does include a preview image so tools can show a thumbnail, but the file itself is the full editable design.
Open the Sketch file in a design tool and export from there. In Sketch or Figma you can export whole artboards or single elements as PNG, JPG, PDF or SVG. To keep the design editable, import it into Figma or Adobe XD instead of exporting a flat image. For a single icon, exporting as SVG keeps it sharp and easy to reuse.
Yes, because a .sketch file is really a ZIP archive. Make a copy, rename it to end in .zip, then unzip it, and you will find the JSON data along with a preview image of the design inside. This is a quick way to see what a Sketch file contains without any design app, though for real editing you still want Figma or Sketch itself.
Mark the layers or artboards you want as exportable, then export them from Sketch or Figma. PNG and JPG suit fixed images, while SVG and PDF keep icons and shapes scalable, which developers usually prefer for the web. Many teams also use a developer handoff view that lets developers inspect the design and download assets straight from the browser.
📝 Summary
A Sketch file is a design document from the Sketch app, saved with the .sketch extension and used mainly for user interface design, app icons and mobile and web mockups. It holds layers, shapes, text and reusable components on artboards, stored in an open JSON-based format since Sketch 43. Sketch itself runs only on the Mac, but the open format means other tools open a .sketch file too. On a Mac, use Sketch or Adobe XD, and on Windows or without Sketch, import it into Figma or open it in a browser editor. Figma is the usual route for anyone not on a Mac.