Windows Phone Xap Archive -

For developers preserving legacy apps:

For archivists and hobbyists:

For redeployment/sideloading:

Running these files on original hardware (a Lumia 920, 1020, or 1520) requires bypassing the operating system's security.

Unlike the Game Boy or Nintendo DS, there is no highly accurate, widely available Windows Phone emulator for consumers. windows phone xap archive

Think of a XAP file as the Windows Phone equivalent of an .apk on Android or an .ipa on iOS. It is a compressed archive (basically a renamed .zip file) that contains everything an app needs to run:

Because the official store is gone, XAP files are the only way to install legacy apps. For developers preserving legacy apps:

Windows Phone 7 devices require a specific tool called ** ChevronWP7 ** or a modified version of the Zune software to sideload apps. These tools are harder to find and require unlocking the device bootloader.