---
title: "URL to Webloc"
description: "Convert Windows .url Internet Shortcuts, or a ZIP of them, into Mac .webloc files that Finder opens. Batch conversion, .lnk files reported. Files are not uploaded."
url: https://findutils.com/convert/url-to-webloc/
category: convert
---

# URL to Webloc

Convert Windows .url Internet Shortcuts, or a ZIP of them, into Mac .webloc files that Finder opens. Batch conversion, .lnk files reported. Files are not uploaded.

**Use this tool:** [URL to Webloc](https://findutils.com/convert/url-to-webloc/)

## Programmatic access

- REST id `url-to-webloc`: POST https://api.findutils.com/api/tools/url-to-webloc/execute (reference: https://findutils.com/api/url-to-webloc/)
- MCP tool `url_to_webloc` on https://mcp.findutils.com (reference: https://findutils.com/mcp/url-to-webloc/)

## Why Use URL to Webloc?

Windows saves a web link as a .url Internet Shortcut: drag an address out of the browser onto the desktop, keep an old Favorites folder, or get a ZIP of links from a Windows colleague. On a Mac those files are not the .webloc shortcuts Finder makes itself, and rebuilding each one by hand means copying the URL= line out of every file. URL to Webloc reads a whole pile of .url files at once, in the browser, and writes each as a .webloc with the same name.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I open a Windows .url file on a Mac?

Convert it to a .webloc. Drop the .url on this page and download the .webloc; Finder opens that in the default browser with a double-click. To only read the address, open the .url in TextEdit and look for the URL= line.

### What is inside the .webloc this page writes?

An XML property list with one dictionary holding a URL key and the address as a string. That is the format current macOS uses for the .webloc files Finder creates. The preview on the page shows the XML of the first file.

### Does it write binary .webloc files?

No. It writes XML .webloc files, which current macOS opens. The binary property list form some older systems used is not written.

### Can I convert a whole folder of .url files at once?

Yes. Select all the files and drop them, or compress the folder into a ZIP and drop that. Every .url inside the ZIP is read, including those in subfolders, and the results download together as url-webloc.zip.

### Why was a file skipped?

Each skipped file is listed with its reason: the file is empty, it has no [InternetShortcut] section, the section has no URL= line, or the address contains a control character that a property list cannot hold. A .lnk file is skipped because it is a binary Windows shortcut, and a .webloc is skipped because it is already a Mac shortcut.

### Does it work with .lnk shortcuts?

No. A .lnk file is a Shell Link, a binary format that points to programs, folders and documents rather than a web address. It is listed as skipped instead of being guessed at.

### Does the page open or check the links?

No. The addresses are copied as text and never requested, so a link that no longer works still converts and no website learns about your shortcuts.

### Are my files uploaded?

No. The .url files and ZIPs are read by JavaScript in your browser tab and the .webloc files are created there. Analytics and ads may load on the page, but no request carries your files or the links in them.

### How do I convert .webloc files to .url?

Use [Webloc to URL](https://findutils.com/convert/webloc-to-url/), the reverse of this page. It reads XML and binary .webloc files and writes Windows Internet Shortcuts.

## Related Tools

- [Webloc to URL](https://findutils.com/convert/webloc-to-url/)
- [Internet Shortcuts to CSV](https://findutils.com/convert/internet-shortcuts-to-csv/)
- [Plist JSON Converter](https://findutils.com/developers/plist-json-converter/)
- [Clean ZIP](https://findutils.com/convert/clean-zip/)
- [CSV to Bookmarks HTML](https://findutils.com/convert/csv-to-bookmarks-html/)