Convert YAML to JSON on Windows — Free Online, No PowerShell Required

Converting YAML to JSON on Windows is free and requires no software installation. Open Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, go to the browser converter, paste your YAML, and get formatted JSON output in under three seconds. No PowerShell commands, no Notepad++ plugin, no Python environment to set up.

For Windows developers who prefer the command line or need to automate conversions, this guide also covers PowerShell and Python methods. But for the majority of Windows users who need to convert a config file once or twice a week, the browser approach is the right tool.

Convert YAML to JSON in Chrome or Edge on Windows (Fastest Method)

Open the YAML to JSON converter in any browser on your Windows machine. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox all work. The direction toggle at the top should say YAML to JSON — that is the default.

Steps:

1. Open the converter in your browser
2. Open your .yaml or .yml file in Notepad (right-click the file, Open With, Notepad)
3. Select all (Ctrl+A), copy (Ctrl+C)
4. Paste into the converter's input area (Ctrl+V)
5. Click Convert
6. Click Copy to copy the JSON, or Download JSON to save a .json file

The conversion runs inside your browser. Nothing is sent to any server. The tool handles Docker Compose files, Kubernetes manifests, GitHub Actions workflows, and any other YAML you paste in.

PowerShell Method — Convert YAML to JSON on Windows via Command Line

Windows PowerShell does not have built-in YAML support, but you can use the powershell-yaml module:

Install-Module -Name powershell-yaml -Scope CurrentUser
Import-Module powershell-yaml
$yaml = Get-Content input.yaml -Raw
ConvertFrom-Yaml $yaml | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 100 | Set-Content output.json

The -Depth 100 flag is important — without it, PowerShell truncates deeply nested objects at a depth of 2 by default, which corrupts complex YAML files.

For a one-liner approach without installing a module, Python is more reliable on Windows (see next section). PowerShell module installation requires network access and an unrestricted execution policy, which not all Windows environments allow.

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Python Method — Convert YAML to JSON on Windows

If Python is installed on your Windows machine, this is the most reliable command-line method:

pip install pyyaml
python -c "import yaml,json; data=yaml.safe_load(open('input.yaml')); print(json.dumps(data, indent=2))" > output.json

Save as a reusable script (yaml2json.py) in your working directory:

import yaml, json, sys
with open(sys.argv[1]) as f:
    data = yaml.safe_load(f)
print(json.dumps(data, indent=2))

Then run from the command prompt:

python yaml2json.py input.yaml > output.json

Python is available free from python.org or via the Microsoft Store. Once installed, the PyYAML package installs in seconds and works reliably on Windows 10 and 11.

Notepad++ — YAML to JSON Using the JSTool Plugin

If you already use Notepad++ as your primary text editor on Windows, you can add YAML support via the Notepad++ Plugin Manager. The workflow is less direct than the browser tool, but works if you prefer to stay in your editor.

The limitation: Notepad++ has no native YAML-to-JSON conversion command. The typical workaround involves copying YAML content, converting it externally, and pasting back. This is actually slower than the browser tool for most users.

For Windows users who want to convert YAML to JSON directly inside a text editor, Visual Studio Code has a better ecosystem. The YAML extension and the "Convert YAML to JSON" command palette option are both available. See the dedicated VS Code guide for steps.

For most Windows users, the browser tool is faster than any editor plugin approach for one-off conversions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert a YAML file to JSON on Windows 11?

Open the YAML file in Notepad (right-click, Open With, Notepad), select all, copy. Open the browser-based YAML to JSON converter in Chrome or Edge, paste your YAML, click Convert. Download the JSON file. No installation needed.

Can I convert YAML to JSON in PowerShell on Windows?

Yes, but it requires installing the powershell-yaml module first: Install-Module powershell-yaml. Once installed, use ConvertFrom-Yaml to parse YAML and ConvertTo-Json to output JSON. Use -Depth 100 to avoid truncating nested objects.

Does the browser YAML to JSON converter work on Windows 10?

Yes. The browser converter works on any Windows version with a modern browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox). There is no Windows-specific limitation — the tool processes everything inside the browser tab.

What is the easiest free way to convert YAML to JSON on Windows?

The browser tool — no install, no PowerShell, no Python setup. Open it in any browser, paste your YAML, click Convert. For automated or batch conversions, Python with PyYAML is the most reliable Windows option.