The short answer
- EPS is a one-page image and design format that embeds a rectangular vector or bitmap graphic as a PostScript program, with a required bounding box and no native transparency support.
- Use Adobe Illustrator's Open command to inspect or edit an EPS/EPSF file, or Place to import it into artwork. On Windows or macOS, keep Illustrator and other parsers updated. To view the artwork on a phone, convert a trusted file on an updated computer to PDF, PNG, or JPEG first. Do not re-enable an obsolete Office EPS import filter.
- Treat unsolicited EPS files as active input rather than passive pictures because PostScript is an interpreted programming language. Microsoft documented in-the-wild exploitation of Office EPS import-filter vulnerabilities and disabled that filter by default. Use an updated, isolated parser for untrusted files; a familiar extension, header, or visible preview does not establish safety.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file
Adobe developed Encapsulated PostScript as a PostScript subset for importing a single, rectangular graphic into another document. EPSF 3.0 is primarily textual PostScript and requires DSC comments including an EPSF version line and %%BoundingBox. A file may also begin with a binary header containing a raster preview.
Choose PDF when scalable output matters and the destination supports it. Choose PNG, TIFF, or JPEG for pixel-based delivery, setting the target dimensions and resolution before conversion because rasterization fixes vector artwork to a pixel grid. EPS transparency may be flattened into vector and raster regions; flattening cannot be undone after saving, and its resolution affects quality, processing time, and size.
How to open it
Use Adobe Illustrator's Open command to inspect or edit an EPS/EPSF file, or Place to import it into artwork. On Windows or macOS, keep Illustrator and other parsers updated. To view the artwork on a phone, convert a trusted file on an updated computer to PDF, PNG, or JPEG first. Do not re-enable an obsolete Office EPS import filter.
Use Adobe Illustrator's Open command to inspect or edit an EPS/EPSF file, or Place to import it into artwork. On Windows or macOS, keep Illustrator and other parsers updated. To view the artwork on a phone, convert a trusted file on an updated computer to PDF, PNG, or JPEG first. Do not re-enable an obsolete Office EPS import filter.
Choose PDF when scalable output matters and the destination supports it. Choose PNG, TIFF, or JPEG for pixel-based delivery, setting the target dimensions and resolution before conversion because rasterization fixes vector artwork to a pixel grid. EPS transparency may be flattened into vector and raster regions; flattening cannot be undone after saving, and its resolution affects quality, processing time, and size.
File safety
Treat unsolicited EPS files as active input rather than passive pictures because PostScript is an interpreted programming language. Microsoft documented in-the-wild exploitation of Office EPS import-filter vulnerabilities and disabled that filter by default. Use an updated, isolated parser for untrusted files; a familiar extension, header, or visible preview does not establish safety.
An unknown sender, a name ending in two extensions, or contents that do not match the extension — check before you open it.
Converting it
Choose PDF when scalable output matters and the destination supports it. Choose PNG, TIFF, or JPEG for pixel-based delivery, setting the target dimensions and resolution before conversion because rasterization fixes vector artwork to a pixel grid. EPS transparency may be flattened into vector and raster regions; flattening cannot be undone after saving, and its resolution affects quality, processing time, and size.
Convert a copy, never the original, then compare quality, metadata, and layout against what you started with.
Common questions
What is an EPS file and what is it used for?
EPS is Adobe's PostScript subset for carrying one rectangular, one-page vector or bitmap graphic into another document. EPSF 3.0 identifies its graphic boundary with a required %%BoundingBox comment.
How do I open an EPS file in Adobe Illustrator?
Start Illustrator and use Open to read or edit the EPS/EPSF file. Use Place when the goal is to import the graphic into an existing Illustrator document.
How do I open an EPS file on Windows without using the old Office filter?
Use an updated Adobe Illustrator installation or another updated, isolated EPS parser. Do not enable the legacy Office EPS import filter; Microsoft disabled it by default after documented attacks.
How can I view an EPS file on a phone?
Convert a trusted EPS on an updated computer to PDF, PNG, or JPEG, then open that derivative file on the phone.
Why will an EPS file not open or show the expected artwork?
Check that it is really EPS, that the EPSF version and %%BoundingBox comments are present, and that the parser is current. A binary-preview EPS begins with a separate binary header, so testing only for a textual first line can misidentify it.
Should I use EPS or SVG for a vector graphic?
Choose only after checking the destination application's documented format support. EPS is limited to one rectangular page, has no native transparency and may irreversibly flatten transparent artwork. It is interpreted PostScript, so its parser must remain current.
How do I convert an EPS file to PDF?
Open the trusted EPS in Illustrator and save or export an appropriate PDF derivative. Inspect the result because transparency may have been flattened and applications placing the EPS can read its flattened rather than native Illustrator data.
How do I convert EPS to PNG without making it blurry?
Select the final pixel dimensions and a suitable rasterization resolution before conversion. PNG fixes scalable vector content to that pixel grid, so enlarging it later can reduce apparent sharpness.
Is an EPS attachment in email safe to open?
Do not assume so. EPS contains PostScript program code, and Microsoft documented exploited Office EPS filter vulnerabilities. Process an untrusted attachment only with an updated, isolated parser and do not restore the obsolete Office filter.
Does checking an EPS file header prove that the file is safe and valid?
No. Recognized textual signatures or the binary-preview header can help identify the format, but they neither validate the entire PostScript program nor prove its content trustworthy.
Why does my EPS look different when someone else places it?
Illustrator CS and later can save both native Illustrator data and already-flattened EPS data in one file. Other applications read the flattened data when placing the EPS, so transparency and rasterized regions may differ from the editable Illustrator view.
Related formats
Sources
Encapsulated PostScript File Format Specification, Version 3.0 (Adobe Technical Note 5002) · Adobe Systems Incorporated specification, hosted by Association for PRINT Technologies
PRONOM fmt/124: Encapsulated PostScript File Format 3.0 · The National Archives (UK), PRONOM format registry
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) File Format, Version 3.x · Library of Congress, Sustainability of Digital Formats
PostScript Format Family · Library of Congress, Sustainability of Digital Formats
Supported file formats in Adobe Illustrator · Adobe Illustrator official documentation
How to print and save transparent artwork in Illustrator · Adobe Illustrator official documentation
Coming together to address Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) attacks · Microsoft Security Response Center