AIP File

What are AIP files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AIP file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your AIP files.

What is an AIP file?

AIP files have multiple uses, and Actual Installer Project is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Actual Installer Project

These AIP files contain projects created in Actual Installer, a software installer tool for Windows-based programs. A project file includes information about which files to bundle into the software installer and where they get installed on the user's system, in addition to information like registry values, uninstall options, and other features required when installing a program on a Windows PC.

How to open AIP files

Important: Different programs may use files with the AIP file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your AIP file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested seven different AIP openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 17, 2026

All known file formats using extension .AIP

While Actual Installer Project is a popular type of AIP-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .AIP file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Advanced Installer Project

An Advanced Installer Project stores all of the configuration data that defines how a Windows setup installer will be built. Developed with the Advanced Installer tool by Caphyon, it's used when creating MSI or EXE installers and contains everything from files to include, registry entries, installation UI dialogs, language support, component GUIDs, and versioning rules.

This project file is written and edited using Advanced Installer itself (or via its Visual Studio extension). You start by defining project options - like output paths, project type (Simple, Professional, Enterprise, Architect), caching settings, and whether file paths are stored absolute or relative. Then you add files/folders, custom actions, product identity (ProductCode and UpgradeCode GUIDs), language settings, dialogs, shortcuts, prerequisites, and all the logic that will become part of the installer. When ready, the Advanced Installer tool builds the project into installer packages (MSI, EXE, MSIX, etc.).

Advanced Installer uses this format as an XML document. It begins with a standard XML declaration at the top. Inside are elements and attributes such as PRODUCT, COMPONENT, FEATURE, DIRECTORY, LANGUAGE, etc. Identifiers like ProductCode, UpgradeCode, and strings such as ADVANCED INSTALLER or CAPHYON.ADVINST.MSICOMP.DICTIONARYCOMPONENT appear within. The file is encoded using UTF-8, contains tags like DIALOG, APPDIR, SOURCE, BINARY, DESCRIPTION, DISPLAY, and includes stand-alone, default, version, and type designations.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of AIP files. Remember, different programs may use AIP files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about AIP file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.