How to Open an SPSS .sav File on iPhone or iPad

Q: What if the file came with a .sps syntax file?

Open it with File ▸ Open Syntax… . It loads into the Syntax tab without running, so you can check it first and then run it on the open dataset. TRTT is an independent product. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by IBM. IBM and SPSS are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.

iPhones and iPads can't open SPSS .sav files on their own: the Files app shows them as a generic document, and Quick Look has nothing to display. To see the data, variable labels and value labels, you need an app that reads the SPSS format. This guide uses TRTT, a statistics app for iPhone and iPad that opens .sav files and runs SPSS-style analyses on the device.

Free tier in one sentence: TRTT is free and every feature works on datasets of up to 100 cases; for bigger files you can load the first 100 cases for free or buy TRTT Pro (weekly or monthly subscription, or a one-time lifetime unlock; prices are shown in the app).

Step by step from Files

Install TRTT: Statistics & .sav Data from the App Store (iOS or iPadOS 17 or later).
Open TRTT. On the start screen, tap Open or Import Data…. (Once a dataset is open, the same option is under File ▸ Open Data….)
The Files browser appears. Go to Browse, choose the location (On My iPhone, iCloud Drive or another provider) and tap your .sav file.
TRTT reads the file and shows it in Data View. The status bar shows how many cases and variables it found.

You can also start from the Files app itself: tap and hold the .sav, choose Share, then pick TRTT. TRTT works on the file where it is, so changes you make are saved back to that same file.

From Mail or Messages

Survey files often arrive as email attachments.

In Mail, tap the .sav attachment. If it shows only a file icon, tap the Share button.
In the share sheet, choose TRTT. If you don't see it in the first row of apps, swipe to the end and tap More.
TRTT opens with the data loaded.

The same works in Messages and in other apps that offer the system share sheet for attachments. Tip: if you want to keep working on the file later, save it to Files first (Save to Files in the share sheet) and open it from there. That gives TRTT a permanent file to save your changes to.

From iCloud Drive, Google Drive or Dropbox

iCloud Drive: pick the file from the iCloud Drive location in the Files browser. If the file isn't downloaded to the device yet, TRTT shows Downloading… and opens it as soon as it arrives.
Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive: install the provider's app and turn it on as a location in Files (in the Files app, Browse ▸ ⋯ ▸ Edit). The provider then appears in TRTT's file browser like any other folder. Alternatively, open the file in the provider's app, tap Open in or Share, and choose TRTT.

Not a .sav? TRTT also imports CSV, TXT, TSV and Excel (.xlsx) files through an import wizard where you choose the delimiter or worksheet. SPSS syntax files (.sps) open in the Syntax tab; opening one never runs it automatically. Older SPSS portable files (.por) and compressed .zsav files aren't supported by the app yet.

Viewing variables and value labels

A .sav file is more than a grid of numbers. It also stores what each variable means. TRTT has four tabs at the bottom: Data View, Variable View, Output and Syntax.

Data View shows the cases. Tap the Value Labels button (the tag icon) in its toolbar to switch between the stored codes (1, 2) and their labels (Male, Female).
Variable View lists every variable with its measurement level icon, name, format, variable label, a Values badge (tap it to see or edit the value labels) and a Missing badge (the user-defined missing values, such as 8 and 9 for "Don't know" and "Refused").
Utilities ▸ Variables… opens a read-only dictionary browser if you just want to look things up.

If the labels you expected aren't there, the file probably never had them: some exports from survey tools write only the codes.

Running a first analysis

Try a frequency table. It's the quickest check that the file looks right.

Tap Analyze ▸ Descriptive Statistics ▸ Frequencies….
Tap one or more variables to tick them, such as gender or an age group.
Tap OK.
The Output tab opens with a Statistics table and one frequency table per variable, with Frequency, Percent, Valid Percent and Cumulative Percent columns, using the variable and value labels from the file.

On the built-in sample (Open sample on the start screen, or File ▸ Open sample), the gender variable gives 197 men (49.25%) and 203 women (50.75%) out of 400 cases. The same Analyze menu holds crosstabs with chi-square, t tests, ANOVA, correlations, regression, reliability analysis and more, with the SPSS 32 menu names. Guides for the most common ones: chi-square test, t tests and Cronbach's alpha.

To share results, use Share Output at the top of the Output tab (PDF or SPSS Viewer .spv), or long-press a single table to copy it or share it as an image and CSV file.

Large files and the 100-case free tier

The free version of TRTT works with datasets of up to 100 cases (rows). Everything else is included: all analyses, charts, syntax and exports.

When you open a larger file, TRTT tells you how many cases it has and offers two buttons:

Load first 100 cases opens the first 100 rows, free. A First 100 cases label in the status bar reminds you that this is a shortened copy. TRTT won't save it over your original file; it asks you to use Save As instead, so the full dataset stays intact.
Unlock TRTT Pro opens the whole file. Pro unlocks dataset size and nothing else. It comes as a weekly subscription, a monthly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase, with Family Sharing on the lifetime option. Prices depend on your country and are shown in the app.

The first 100 rows are not a random sample, so use them to check the file and practise your steps, not to report results. The built-in sample dataset (400 cases) opens in full without Pro, so you can try every analysis on a realistic survey first.

Your data stays on the device either way: TRTT computes everything locally, needs no account and sends no usage data.

Get TRTT for iPhone & iPad

On a computer? TRTT also runs free in a desktop browser at trtt.app, with the same engine and the same results.

FAQ

Why can't my iPhone open a .sav file?

iOS has no built-in viewer for the SPSS data format, so Files and Quick Look can't display it. Open it in an app that reads .sav files, such as TRTT.

Is there a free SPSS viewer app for iPhone?

TRTT is free to download and opens .sav files with their labels. Analyses are free on datasets of up to 100 cases; larger files can be opened as their first 100 cases for free, or in full with TRTT Pro.

Will opening the file upload my data?

Not with TRTT. The file is read and analysed on your iPhone or iPad, there's no account, and the app sends no usage data. It works offline once the file is on the device.

Can I edit the file and send it back?

Yes. Edit values in Data View or labels in Variable View; if you opened the file from Files, changes are saved to it in place. Then share the .sav from Files, or use File ▸ Export… to send a CSV or Excel copy.

What if the file came with a .sps syntax file?

Open it with File ▸ Open Syntax…. It loads into the Syntax tab without running, so you can check it first and then run it on the open dataset.

TRTT is an independent product. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by IBM. IBM and SPSS are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.