What is an OPML file?

An OPML file is an XML file used to store structured lists.

In RSS and Atom readers, OPML is usually the file format used to:

export your subscriptions
back up your feed list
move feeds from one reader to another
preserve folders or categories

If you have ever exported subscriptions from Feedly, Inoreader, NetNewsWire, Reeder, or another reader, you have probably exported an OPML file.

Quick answer

For feed readers, OPML is basically a portable subscription list.

It is not the feed itself. Instead, it is a file that points to many feeds at once, usually by storing them as <outline> entries with xmlUrl values.

That is why OPML is useful for backup, migration, and feed-list management.

What does an OPML file contain?

A typical OPML file contains:

an <opml> root element
a <head> section for metadata
a <body> section for the actual list
nested <outline> elements for folders or subscriptions

In feed-reader workflows, subscription entries often include:

text for the feed name
xmlUrl for the RSS or Atom feed URL
sometimes htmlUrl for the site homepage
sometimes type="rss" or type="atom"

Example:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<opml version="2.0">
  <head>
    <title>Subscriptions</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <outline text="Example Feed" type="rss" xmlUrl="https://example.com/feed.xml" htmlUrl="https://example.com/" />
  </body>
</opml>

What is OPML used for?

In practice, OPML is used for a few simple jobs:

1. Backing up subscriptions

You can export an OPML file from a reader and keep it as a snapshot of your feed list.

2. Moving feeds between readers

If you switch from Feedly to another app, or from another app into Feedly, OPML is usually the bridge.

Some people use OPML to share groups of feeds with a team, community, or audience.

4. Cleaning up large feed lists

Because OPML is structured text, it can be repaired, deduplicated, and reorganized when feed lists get messy.

OPML vs RSS

This is the distinction that confuses people most often:

RSS or Atom is the feed that publishes updates.
OPML is the file that lists feeds.

So if you want to read updates from one site, you use its RSS or Atom feed. If you want to move 200 subscriptions between readers, you use OPML.

For a deeper comparison, see:

OPML vs RSS: What’s the difference?

When do you need an OPML file?

You probably need OPML if you are trying to:

export subscriptions from Feedly
import subscriptions into Inoreader or another reader
migrate a large feed list
keep a backup before reorganizing folders
fix a broken or messy subscription export

Useful next steps:

Common problems with OPML files

Most OPML issues are not about the format itself. They are usually caused by one of these:

invalid XML
broken encoding
missing xmlUrl values
duplicate or malformed outline entries
feed URLs that no longer work

If your OPML file will not import, start here:

OPML Import Errors — How to Fix Broken Feed Lists

If the OPML imports but the feeds themselves break afterward, validate the feed URLs next.

Keep this page focused on the definition, not every workflow

This page is the plain-English answer to “what is an OPML file?”