How to view 3D models on Windows, Mac, phones and the web

Start with the file extension

A 3D viewer is only as good as the formats it reads, so look at the end of the file name before you look for software. Most files you will meet are one of these:

• .glb or .gltf. The web's 3D format, maintained by Khronos. A .glb packs the mesh, materials and textures into one file. See how to open GLB files.
• .fbx. Autodesk's interchange format, common in game pipelines and animation. See how to open FBX files.
• .obj. The oldest format here, still everywhere. It usually travels with a .mtl file and some images. See how to open OBJ files.
• .stl. Geometry only, no colour. Almost always a 3D-printing file.
• .usdz. Apple's packaged version of Pixar's USD, the format iPhones use for AR.

If you want the longer story of why there are so many, the 3D file formats glossary entry covers it.

On Windows

Windows used to answer this for you. The built-in app started life in 2017 as View 3D, became Mixed Reality Viewer and then 3D Viewer. Microsoft deprecated it in February 2026 and removed it from the Microsoft Store on July 1, 2026, according to its list of deprecated Windows features. The replacement Microsoft points to is Babylon.js Sandbox, which runs in the browser.

So on a Windows PC today, the quickest route is a browser viewer. For FBX, which Babylon.js Sandbox does not list, use Blender or Autodesk's free FBX Review. The Microsoft 3D Viewer alternatives guide goes through the options.

On a Mac

macOS needs no extra software for most formats. Apple's Preview supports USDZ, USD, PLY, STL, Alembic, GLTF and GLB, Wavefront OBJ, MaterialX and OpenVDB. Double-click the file and Preview opens it in a 3D view you can orbit. FBX is not on that list, so it needs Blender or FBX Review. Viewing 3D models on a Mac has the details.

In a browser, on any computer

Browser viewers work the same on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS, and need nothing installed. Babylon.js Sandbox and the open-source Online 3D Viewer are the two worth bookmarking. Drag the file in and you can orbit, zoom and inspect it. One catch: a .gltf or .obj model is often several files, and you need to drop all of them in together. Viewing 3D files online explains which viewer reads what.

On a phone

Both mobile platforms can show a model at real scale in your room:

• Android uses Google's Scene Viewer, which opens glTF and GLB files on ARCore-supported phones.
• iPhone and iPad use AR Quick Look, which opens USDZ files from Files, Messages, Mail and Safari.

Viewing 3D models on your phone covers both, including how websites hand a model to each one.

What to check while you look

A viewer is also the fastest quality check you have. Before you put a model in a game, a store page or a print queue, turn on the wireframe, check the scale against something you know, and look for black or missing faces. These are the problems a pretty render hides. The 3D model inspection checklist lists what to look for, and what each problem means.

When a viewer is not enough

Viewers show you a model. They do not change it. If the model is the wrong shape, too heavy for your scene, or does not exist yet, you need a tool that makes or edits geometry. Blender is the free standard for editing. If you are looking for a model that nobody has made yet, Vi3W generates one from a text prompt, a sketch or a photo, lets you rotate it in the browser, and exports GLB, FBX or OBJ that any viewer on this page can open.