Free tool · updated 24 September 2026

Open a .pkpass file. Nothing is uploaded.

See what is inside any Apple Wallet pass, its fields, images and barcode, and whether it breaks the rules for its style. It runs in this tab, on the same rules Cardr’s own pass builder is held to.

A .pkpass viewer opens an Apple Wallet pass on any computer and shows you what is inside it: every field, every image, and anything that breaks Apple’s rules for its style. This one runs entirely in your browser. The file is unzipped on this page and never uploaded.

What it shows: A sketch of the front, every field front and back, every image with its real pixel size, and the raw pass.json.
What it checks: Field counts per style, the combined budget a square barcode imposes, images the style cannot display, image sizes at each scale, and text Wallet will truncate.
Why it will not open: Broken JSON with its line and column, missing required keys or icon, files changed after signing, and the signing certificate, read rather than verified.
Where the rules come from: The same pass-spec.js Cardr’s own pass builder fails its build against, quoted from Apple’s documentation.

The viewer

Drop a pass. It stays on your machine.

Choose a .pkpass file or drag one onto the box. It is opened in this tab; nothing is sent to a server.

Drop a .pkpass file here or tap to choose one. Read in your browser, never uploaded.

What it checks

The rules, per style.

A pass that breaks these still installs. Wallet simply drops the extra fields or ignores the image, silently, which is why a checker is worth having.

The rules the viewer checks, per pass style
Style	Images Wallet displays	Header / primary / secondary / auxiliary	With a square barcode
Generic	logo, icon, thumbnail	3 / 1 / 4 / 4	4 secondary + auxiliary combined
Store card	logo, icon, strip	3 / 1 / 4 / 4	4 secondary + auxiliary combined
Coupon	logo, icon, strip	3 / 1 / 4 / 4	4 secondary + auxiliary combined
Event ticket	strip: logo, icon, strip; background: logo, icon, background, thumbnail	3 / 1 / 4 / 4	Independent
Boarding pass	logo, icon, footer	3 / 2 / 4 / 5	Independent

Generated from pass-spec.js, the module Cardr’s pass builder reads, which quotes Apple’s PassKit Package Format Reference beside every number. The viewer imports the same file.

Allotted image sizes
Image	Allotted at @1x	At @3x
icon.png	29×29pt	87×87px
logo.png	160×50pt	480×150px
thumbnail.png	90×90pt	270×270px
footer.png	286×15pt	858×45px
background.png	180×220pt	540×660px
strip.png (event ticket)	375×98pt	1125×294px
strip.png (store card)	375×144pt	1125×432px
strip.png (coupon)	375×144pt	1125×432px

A logo may be narrower than its allotment, and usually should be. A strip or background smaller than its allotment is stretched and looks soft; anything larger is scaled or cropped.

Keep reading

The rest of the format.

Updated 24 September 2026.

ExplainerWhat a .pkpass file is

Where it opens, what the eleven files inside do, and why one refuses to open.

ReferenceApple Wallet pass guide

Image sizes, field limits and the undocumented behaviours, for people building passes.

GuidePass image sizes

Strip, thumbnail and background, and which style gets which.

Free toolsEvery free tool

No signup, no email address, no watermark.

Questions

About the viewer.

Is my .pkpass file uploaded?

No. The file is read by your browser and unzipped by a script on this page. There is no upload endpoint for it to be sent to, and nothing about the pass is stored or logged. You can load the page, disconnect from the internet, and it still works.

Can this viewer add a pass to Apple Wallet?

No. It shows you what is inside a pass; only Wallet on an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch can keep one. On a Mac, double-clicking the file opens Apple’s own Pass Viewer.

Does it check the signature?

It reads it. The viewer opens the PKCS#7 signature and reports the signing certificate’s pass type, team and expiry, and whether Apple’s WWDR intermediate is included, which are the usual reasons a signed pass is refused. It does not verify the signature against Apple’s root certificate, and it says so in every report.

Why does it warn about truncation?

Wallet lays each row of fields across one line and cuts text off with an ellipsis rather than wrapping it. By our own measurement that line holds roughly 42 characters shared between the columns, so a four-column row has room for about 10 each. The warning is an estimate from that measurement, not an Apple rule, and says so.

Why is an image flagged that Wallet does not display?

Each pass style displays a fixed set of images. A store card, for instance, has no thumbnail slot. An image outside the set is still signed into the pass, but Wallet ignores it without telling anyone, which is exactly why the viewer does tell you.

What should I do if my pass will not open?

Start with the four causes on our .pkpass explainer: the wrong content type, a signature that no longer matches, an expired certificate, or no update service. The viewer rules out the structural ones.

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