The .pkg extension covers macOS installer packages and Bungie Destiny game packages. A modern flat PKG is an Apple-flavoured XAR archive whose payload is a gzip-compressed cpio bundle of the files to be installed. Each component carries a “bill of materials” (Bom) and an XML PackageInfo describing exactly what will be written to the disc. Analyser handles .PKG alongside related formats such as .XAR, .MPKG, .MSU and more.

How do I open a .PKG file?

Drop a .PKG file onto Analyser at https://analyser.valjdakosta.com/ and it is identified directly in your browser - no upload, no account and no software to install. Open more archives, packages and installers: macOS XAR/.pkg/.mpkg installers (member list), Windows .msu updates (CAB), Snap SquashFS packages, Flatpak bundles, StuffIt (.sit/.sitx), lzop (.lzo) and Brotli (.br) streams, Java Web Start (.jnlp), and the .tlz/.tbz/.tz compressed-tarball shorthands.

Can I open a .PKG file online for free?

Yes. Analyser is a free online .PKG identifier that runs entirely in your browser - your .PKG file never leaves your device, so there is nothing to upload and no software to install. It even works offline once installed.

.PKG file - what it is and how to identify it online

Analyse a .PKG file

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What is a .PKG file?

The .pkg extension covers macOS installer packages and Bungie Destiny game packages.

macOS Installer Package

What it is: Apple's flat installer package - a XAR archive. Analyser lists the payload members, the checksum algorithm and the bundle version.
How to tell it apart: A macOS installer begins with the ASCII magic xar!.
Did you know: Apple's flat .pkg is really a XAR archive with an XML table of contents, which let an entire installer become one signable, downloadable file.
The flat single-file .pkg arrived with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard in 2007, replacing the older folder-style bundle packages.
A .pkg can run pre- and post-install scripts as root, which is exactly why an unsigned installer package is a classic macOS malware vector.

Destiny package (Bungie Tiger engine)

What it is: A Bungie Tiger-engine asset package from Destiny and Destiny 2 - audio, models, textures and strings in a proprietary entry/block table. Analyser reads the package id, header version, build date and platform from the header.
How to tell it apart: A Tiger package starts with the bytes 35 00 02 00 and carries its package id at offset 0x10 (the hex id in the filename).
Did you know: Destiny 2 ships its assets in hundreds of these Tiger-engine packages; the four hex digits in each filename (like 02b8) are the package id stored at offset 0x10 inside.
Because Bungie ships no official mod tools, fans reverse-engineered the Tiger .pkg format to pull out Destiny's models, textures and music, producing extractors like DestinyUnpacker.
Each package header carries a build date, so the .pkg files can be traced back to the exact game patch that shipped them.

Did you know: Analyser handles .PKG alongside related formats such as .XAR, .MPKG, .MSU and more.
Depth of analysis: .PKG is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
Open a .PKG file: Drag a .PKG file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.
Related formats: .XAR · .MPKG · .MSU · .SNAP · .Flatpak · .SIT · .SITX · .LZO · .BR · .JNLP · .TLZ · .TBZ · .TZ · .TXZ · .TZST. See all supported file types.