How to open a Microsoft .wps or Works file in Word

The WPS file format is a legacy one for Microsoft Works. Until 2007, when Office 2010 took its place, Microsoft Works, the company's first office suite, was released. The .wps file extension was one of the numerous file formats it produced. Along with .wks for spreadsheets and .wdb for database files, WPS stands for Works Word Processor, a program that was a part of the Works package. Additionally, there was a spreadsheet file extension called .xlr that, for a period, coexisted with the .wks format.

Opening a WPS file can be done in several ways. Some of them include the following:

• Microsoft Works (In case you still possess a copy)
• Microsoft Works 6–9 File Converter
• Office Word 2016
• LibreOffice and OpenOffice

Microsoft Works

Microsoft Works was discontinued in 2007. However, it might still function in Windows 7, 8, or 10. Installing it and decoding the WPS file might be worthwhile if you have some extra discs. Although it is a bit of a headache, there is a way to find out what is in the WPS file. If it can't run natively on your PC, you might consider setting up a virtual machine with VirtualBox that runs Windows XP so you can install Works and test it out.

Microsoft Works 6–9 File Converter

To convert WPS files, Microsoft offers a download that can be obtained from their website. This is the simpler option. It still functions but is no longer being actively developed. Be sure to have Microsoft Word on your computer because you will need it to open the WPS file.

• Get Microsoft Works 6-9 File Converter and install it.
• The WPS file you want to open should be located.
• Right-click, and then choose "Open with".
• Then click OK after choosing Word as the program.

Microsoft Works 6-9 File Converter will be used by Word to open the file. Any content the file may have should now be visible.

To open Microsoft Works 6.0 to 9.0 documents and make them compatible with Microsoft Word 2000 and later, Microsoft provides a free tool called WorksConv.exe. Microsoft offers Wks4Converter en-US.msi to open .wps documents made with Microsoft Works 4.0 or 4.5 in the past. Both of these files should be downloaded and installed, as recommended.

Office Word 2016

Word supports WPS files natively if you have the most recent version of the program. The most recent version of the app or the version that comes with Office 365 is required because earlier versions of the app cannot open them.

• Open Word, then click a File.

• Locate your WPS file by choosing Open > This PC.

• When you click Open once more, Word should now open and show the file's contents.

You might notice some gibberish when Word can't fully understand the format, depending on what the file includes. This seems to be typical. If this occurs to you, try again after downloading the Microsoft Works 6-9 File Converter. That ought to display the contents in their full splendour.

LibreOffice and OpenOffice

An open-source office productivity suite called LibreOffice is free to use. Applications for database management, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and graphic editing are all included.

OpenOffice, sometimes known as OpenOffice.org, is a free office productivity toolkit. It is sometimes shortened as OO. Linux, Apple macOS, and Microsoft Windows are just a few of the popular operating systems that the software is compatible with.

In case you are not aware, LibreOffice and OpenOffice are free, open-source alternatives to Microsoft Office that both support WPS files and all Microsoft Works file types. Opening the file is essentially the same as doing so in Word.

• Set up OpenOffice or LibreOffice.
• Open the program by choosing LibreOffice Writer or OpenOffice Writer.
• Select Open, then locate and open the WPS file.

LibreOffice and OpenOffice are widely supported and used in various industries, and they are compatible with several file types currently regarded as outdated.

Convert the WPS File

 Now let's see how to convert these files into something useful.

• One is to use a native file format that is supported by your software when using the Save As option in each of the aforementioned applications.

• The second choice is to utilize a conversion program.

Despite the fact that the majority of file conversion applications are cloud-based and require the uploading of the source file. Even if they might not do anything with the contents, you shouldn't open the file if it contains any private information. Instead, use one of the strategies listed above.