So, next, we are going to see what is a KEY file and what it is used for in case we find it through any route by which it can reach us. As we have mentioned, it is a file type that is only compatible with macOS-based computers, although there are also ways to open and edit them in Windows. And it is also that, despite the fact that they are especially indicated for use in bitten apple computers, we can find them on our computer for different reasons such as those mentioned above. So now we will see different options available to be able to convert them into other file formats.
What is the KEY file used for?
A KEY file is a format for create a multimedia presentation on Apple devices to use from the Keynote app on both macOS and iOS. This type of file contains different slides in which you can include text, images, shapes, graphics, transitions, audio, video and notes. Thus, a KEY file is the primary file type associated with Keynote, similar to how PPTX files are with Microsoft PowerPoint.
Hence, regular users of a Windows PC are not too familiar with these types of media files for macOS. However, Apple regulars surely do know this format that we are talking about and they know perfectly well where they can use it.
Keynote is one of three Apple productivity apps found in iWork, along with Pages and Numbers. These are versions for Apple of the most popular programs developed by Microsoft, such as PowerPoint, Word and Excel, which belong to the Office package.
Although this makes us think that a KEY file can only be compatible with Apple devices, the truth is that it can also be accessed and used from a Windows 10 and Windows 11 device.
Programs to open and view in Windows
Suppose we have created a presentation using the Keynote application, thus creating a KEY. Well, it may be the case that you need to be able to open the file, but you don’t have your MacBook, iPhone or iPad handy, but you do have a Windows PC. In this case, we tell you how to open and see them.
Of course, we must take into account that viewing will never be the same nor will we be able to get the same Keynote attributes and functions when opening the KEY file in Windows. Despite the compatibility of some programs, there will always be a loss or change in the format and layout.
Microsoft PowerPoint
It is possibly the most popular and used tool for open slideshow files, becoming a benchmark in Windows, and that will also allow us to open any KEY file. In order to use it, it will be necessary to buy the Office package. Once opened, it will only be necessary to open the program and click on the “File” tab, select “Open” and navigate to the desired file and select it.
In PowerPoint, the KEY file will open in the native Windows PPT/PPTX format and the same goes for saving the file. In case we make changes to the original file, when we save it, it will be done as PPT or PPTX file name extension.
We must bear in mind that the main objective of these files that we are talking about now and that you may not be aware of, is the same as the popular PPT and PPTX files that we are so used to in the Microsoft office suite. Hence, from this program focused on multimedia presentations that we normally use in Windows, we can also open these files that are more focused on the apple ecosystem.
LibreOffice Impress
In the event that we do not have PowerPoint, we can also use a free alternative like LibreOffice Impress. Unfortunately, as with PowerPoint, we will not be able to use all the features of the original KEY presentation, and we may lose the formatting, as well as the transition effects that it includes. We can download it for free.
To view the presentation it will only be necessary to click on the “File” tab, click on “Open” and select the KEY file. We will be able to edit the presentation from this software, but when we are going to save the changes, it cannot be as a KEY format, but we will have to choose another such as ODT, PPT, XML, etc.
Viewer Lite
We are talking about a program to open universal files, capable of open more than 150 different types of formats including Keynote KEY files. We can open any presentation created with Apple Keynote in Windows with this software, but contrary to what happens with a specialized program for presentations, we cannot do any type of editing.
File Viewer is a free program that is compatible with all Microsoft operating system platforms, from Windows XP to Windows 11. Just download it for free from the .
Therefore, to open a multimedia presentation that has come to us, for example, by mail but developed on an Apple system, it is not necessary for us to pay for programs like the aforementioned Office PowerPoint that we have seen before. We also have free software solutions at our fingertips to be able to see the content of these files in question.
iCloud
We talk about Apple cloud storage service which will allow us to open and edit any Keynote KEY file. To do this, it will only be necessary for us to log in with our Apple ID and password. Later we select the Keynote application and click on the load icon. We select the file we want to open and load the file. We click on the icon of the wrench and select “Download copy”, we choose the desired format and format that we want to save the file. Once we have loaded the KEY file, we can play and edit it.
File Viewer Lite
It is a program that is compatible with more than 150 file formats, among which the Keynote KEY file is included, so we can open those Keynote ’09 documents that include a QuickLook preview, although does not have any editing option. It is free and compatible with Microsoft operating systems from Windows XP to Windows 11.
The program features drag and drop capability so you can drag KEY files from File Explorer (or desktop) to the software window. We simply have to download it by clicking on the button Download now. Once downloaded, we install it through its assistant.
Later we open the program and to be able to visualize our KEY file, we simply have to drag and drop it on its interface or click on the File tab that we find in the upper left part and then on Open. This will show us a window with the File Explorer from where we must navigate to select the desired file, mark it and click OK.
Advanced Browser
Another of the different options that we have at our disposal to open this file format is to use the Avant Browser browser. It is increasingly common to see how web browsers are capable of opening different file formats and the PDF format is a clear example. In fact, using Edge, we even have a complete file editor in this format with practically the same functions as the Adobe Reader application. However, it does not offer us support for this format.
The Avant Browser browser, for its part, allows us to open presentation files with the KEY extension. To open it, we just have to drag the file to the browser and a new tab will automatically open where the content of the file will be displayed. The only drawback of this browser is that it hasn’t been updated for two years, so at the moment everything seems to indicate that this project has been abandoned by its developers or is in a development phase. standby. We can download Avant Browser from its web page by clicking on the following , from where we can also download portable versionthis being an ideal option if we do not plan to use this browser on a regular basis.
Convert to other formats
There may be times when we may be interested in converting our KEY file to PowerPoint PPT format, or others such as PDF or ZIP. If this is our case, we can carry out the conversion by using these software developed for it.
ZAMZAR
This is a website specially designed for the file conversion, standing out for the wide variety of formats with which it works, as well as for being extremely efficient. We can use it to convert our KEY file to PPT file. To get started, just click on . Later it will only be necessary to load the KEY file and click on Convert now. The process will only last a few seconds and once finished it allows us to save the final result on our hard drive.
cloudconvert
This website has support for more than 200 file formats, so it will allow us to convert our KEY file into another presentation format such as PPT, PPTX, a PDF document or a JPG and PNG image file, all for free. For this we only have to select the file and the format to which we want to convert it. Click on Convert and in a matter of seconds we will have our new file created that we can download to our computer.
OnlineConvertfree
Another web page with which it is possible to convert our KEY file to a PPT file or any other of its more than 100 supported formats, such as PDF, JPG, PNG, HTML, TIFF, among others and for free. To start, just . Later we must select the file from our hard drive or from the Google Drive or Dropbox account and click on the Convert button. In just a few seconds we will have our file converted and ready to download to our PC.
There is no doubt that one of the main characteristics that this software solution offers us is the enormous number of file formats with which it is compatible.
File Browser
We can use the Windows 10 and Windows 11 File Explorer to convert a KEY file to a ZIP file. To do this, we open Explorer by pressing the keyboard shortcut “Windows + E” and navigate to the folder where our KEY file is located. Now in the “View” tab we select the “Show File Name Extensions” option. Select the file and right-click to choose Rename. We now replace the KEY extension with ZIP, keeping the title the same.
From now on the old KEY file becomes a compressed ZIP. If we click on it we can open its content, including images and all the slides of the presentation, as well as including the preview file. The ZIP format is natively compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11, so we won’t have any problem when unzipping the file on our computer using the right mouse button…