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What Does The WPS File Extension Mean?

WPS files are text documents similar to Microsoft Word .DOC files, though the WPS format isn’t as sophisticated and lacks advanced formatting options. Documents with the .wps file type are created by Microsoft Works Word Processor (versions 6.0 – 8.0). Microsoft has recently discontinued the WPS file format in favor of the DOC format that Microsoft Word uses.

I’ve heard some versions of MS Word can open a .wps file right away, but in most cases you’ll need to install an extra file converter to do that. I looked around for free converters and found that most of the links didn’t work anymore because Microsoft had moved the converter to a different page. Never fear, I got the right link(s) in the end, displayed below for your enjoyment.

What’s more, I also found a free online WPS converter that could be very useful for Mac or Linux users who can’t install the MS-provided converter, or people who don’t have MS Word.

How To Convert WPS to DOC

If you don’t have access to MS Works, you will need to convert the .wps file to some other format before you can open it. Microsoft provides several free converters and tools for this purpose (MS Windows required) –

• Microsoft Works 6-9 File Converter – Lets you open and edit .wps files in Word.
• Word Viewer 2007 – a standalone application that can open WPS files (not all versions though).
• All MS Works-related downloads – some other utilities.

Fortunately there is a free online converter that can convert a .wps file to a .doc file (or even a PDF file) – Zamzar.com. It works like this – you choose a WPS file from your computer, choose the file format to convert to, enter your email address and receive the converted file within minutes. I’ve already written about Zamzar previously – it’s a very useful free tool that can convert many different file formats.

Random tidbit of info : This is another post in my unofficial file extension-related tutorial series. Check out the related links below for other posts like this (that is if for some reason you enjoy reading about file formats 😉 Well, somebody could. Maybe.)