WPS File (.wps): What It Is and How to Open It

The basics

What is a WPS file?

Two programs have used .wps for their documents, and their files have nothing in common but the extension:

Microsoft Works. A low-cost suite for home users with a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database. Microsoft announced Works for DOS in 1987, released the final version, Works 9, in 2007, and announced in late 2009 that it would replace Works with a starter edition of Office. Its word processor saved .wps files; the spreadsheet used .wks and the database .wdb.
Kingsoft WPS Office. A Chinese office suite whose roots go back to Super-WPS, a word processor for DOS from 1988. Today it's Kingsoft's WPS Office, with WPS Writer, WPS Sheets and WPS Slides, for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. .wps is Writer's own document format, next to .et for spreadsheets and .dps for presentations.

WPS Office now saves in Microsoft's formats, such as DOCX, by default, and supports its own formats as well. So an old .wps file from a home PC is most likely from Works, while a recent one from someone using WPS Office is most likely Kingsoft's.

Anatomy

What's inside a Microsoft Works WPS file

There's no sample file on this page, because only Works itself could write these files. The outline below describes a Works 2000 or later document as the open-source libwps library reads it, with the identifying bytes recorded by the UK National Archives' PRONOM registry. Like an old Word DOC, the file is a compound file: a small file system with named streams inside. Kingsoft doesn't document its own .wps format, so it isn't shown.

Works 2000+ .wps (structure outline)

Microsoft Works word processor, Works 2000 and later:
the structure read by libwps and identified by PRONOM

D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1    OLE2 compound file signature

Root Entry
  CompObj          names the program; Works 2000 and 6
                   write "Quill96 Story Group Class"
  CONTENTS         the document itself (below)
  SPELLING         spelling data
  …                other streams, e.g. embedded objects

CONTENTS stream
0x00  43 48 4E 4B 57 4B 53   "CHNKWKS": later Works files
                             ("CHNKINK" in Works 2000 files)
0x0C  nn nn                  number of index entries
0x18  index block            entry count, offset of the
                             next block (FFFFFFFF = last)
      24-byte entries        name, type, offset, length:
        TEXT                 the text, as UTF-16LE
        FDPC, FDPP           character and paragraph formatting
        STSH                 style sheet
        DOP                  page size and margins
        FTN, EDN             footnotes and endnotes
        BMKT                 bookmarks
        PICT, FRAM, EOBJ     pictures, frames, embedded objects
        TITL                 document title

Works 3 and 4 for Windows: no CONTENTS stream; the document
is in a stream called MN0, and CompObj says "Microsoft Works"

1D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1
The compound file signature
The same 8 bytes start Word DOC, Excel XLS and PowerPoint PPT files. They say "OLE2 compound file", not "Works", so a tool has to look at the streams inside.
2CompObj
Which program made it
A small stream naming the application. PRONOM recognises Works 3 and 4 files by the text "Microsoft Works" here, and Works 2000 and Works 6 files by "Quill96 Story Group Class".
3CONTENTS
The document
In Works 2000 and later, text and formatting are packed into one stream called CONTENTS, with its own table of contents at the start.
4"CHNKWKS"
The format marker
The CONTENTS stream starts with CHNKWKS in later Works versions and CHNKINK in Works 2000 files. libwps uses these bytes to choose its parser.
5index block
The index
From offset 0x18, blocks of 24-byte entries. Each gives a four-letter name, a type, and the offset and length of a piece of the stream. Blocks are chained: each one says where the next begins.
6TEXT
The text
The document's characters in UTF-16 little-endian, so any language fits. Works 3 and 4 files store text in an 8-bit Windows code page instead.
7FDPC, FDPP
Formatting
Formatted disk pages for characters (FDPC) and paragraphs (FDPP): ranges of text with their font, size, bold, indents and spacing. Word's binary DOC format uses the same idea.
8MN0
Works 3 and 4
Older Windows versions keep the whole document in a stream named MN0. Works for DOS files are not compound files at all.

Identify

How to tell a Works file from a Kingsoft file

Clue	Microsoft Works	Kingsoft WPS Writer
Age	Made before about 2010	Can be any age, including this year
Sender's software	Works, on an old Windows PC	WPS Office on any platform
First bytes	`D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1` from Works 3 for Windows onwards; Works for DOS files are not compound files	Not documented by Kingsoft
Streams inside	`MN0` (Works 3 and 4) or `CONTENTS` starting with `CHNKINK` or `CHNKWKS` (Works 2000 and later)	None of these

To look inside, list the streams with a compound-file tool, for example Python's olefile (olefile.OleFileIO("file.wps").listdir()). If you find a WordDocument stream instead, the file is in Word's binary DOC format, whatever its extension says. We renamed a Word 97-2003 document to .wps and LibreOffice 24.2 opened it as a Word document without complaint: its Word filter lists .wps among its extensions and checks the content.

The most reliable clue is still the sender. Ask which program made the file, or ask for a DOCX or PDF instead.

Versions

Microsoft Works versions and their files

Works version	Container	How readers recognise it
Works for DOS	Its own binary format	The first bytes of the file
Works 3 and 4 for Windows	OLE2 compound file	A `MN0` stream; "Microsoft Works" in `CompObj`
Works 2000 (version 5) and Works 6	OLE2 compound file	A `CONTENTS` stream; "Quill96 Story Group Class" in `CompObj`
Later versions, up to Works 9 (2007)	OLE2 compound file	A `CONTENTS` stream starting with `CHNKWKS`

Works for Mac documents can also carry the .wps extension. They're a different format again; LibreOffice reads them with its separate Mac Works filter.

How to

How to open and convert a WPS file

A Microsoft Works file:

LibreOffice Writer (free, Windows, macOS, Linux) opens Works word-processor files through libwps, a library for importing Works documents. Then use File, Save As to make a DOCX or ODT, or export a PDF.
On a server or for many files: soffice --headless --convert-to docx letter.wps converts with LibreOffice; use a loop for a folder of files.
Microsoft Word: whether Word opens a Works file depends on its version and on the converters installed. Microsoft's support staff say Microsoft 365 may not open .wps files directly; LibreOffice is the dependable route.
If you still have Works: open the file there and save it as RTF or Word format.

A Kingsoft WPS Writer file:

WPS Office opens its own .wps files. It's free to download for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Use Save As to make a DOCX or export a PDF for people without WPS Office.
LibreOffice opens .wps files that are stored in Word's binary format, as described above. Kingsoft's own format isn't documented, so for other files use WPS Office.

In a browser, a link to a WPS file downloads it: browsers can't display either format.

Troubleshooting

Common WPS problems

Word won't open it. It may be a Kingsoft file, or a Works file your version of Word has no converter for. Try LibreOffice, then WPS Office.
LibreOffice can't open it. It's probably a Kingsoft file in Kingsoft's own format. Open it in WPS Office.
Notepad shows a few words between strange characters. That's normal for a binary format. Open it in a word processor that reads it instead.
Windows opens every .wps in WPS Office. If WPS Office is installed, it may have taken over the extension. For an old Works file, right-click it, choose Open with, then LibreOffice Writer.
A .wks or .wdb file came with it. Those are Works spreadsheet and database files. LibreOffice Calc opens Works spreadsheets, and libwps reads databases in a limited way.

Keeping files

Old Works files: archiving and safety

Works was discontinued in 2009 and gets no updates, so the main risk with old .wps files is losing access to them. If you have a folder of them, convert them now with LibreOffice and keep the originals alongside, ideally as PDF for reading and DOCX or ODT for editing.

Installing old Works on a current PC is not a good idea: it's unsupported software that no longer gets security fixes.
Files from unknown senders deserve the usual care: a .wps file is read by complex import code, so keep LibreOffice or WPS Office up to date.
Document properties such as the author's name are stored in the file. Check them before sharing converted copies.

Sample files

Microsoft Works documents can only be saved by Works, which was discontinued in 2009, and Kingsoft's format only by WPS Office, so there are no sample files here. To test with a similar binary word-processing format, use our DOC samples, or save a .wps file from WPS Office.

Put it online

Have a WPS file? Give it a link.

Drop a WPS document on 99helpers and it gets its own web address. Browsers can't display WPS files, so visitors download it and open it in LibreOffice or WPS Office; for a version anyone can read in the browser, upload a PDF copy too.

Put a WPS file online

Questions

WPS files, frequently asked

What is a .wps file?

A word-processing document from either Microsoft Works, a discontinued home office suite, or WPS Writer in Kingsoft's WPS Office. The two formats are unrelated and need different programs.

How do I open a WPS file on Windows 10 or 11?

For an old Microsoft Works file, use LibreOffice Writer, which is free. For a file from WPS Office, install WPS Office. If you don't know which it is, try LibreOffice first.

Can Microsoft Word open WPS files?

Sometimes. It depends on the Word version and the converters installed, and Microsoft 365 may not open them directly. LibreOffice is the most reliable way to open Works files and save them as DOCX.

How do I convert a WPS file to Word?

Open it in LibreOffice (Works files) or WPS Office (Kingsoft files) and use Save As to choose Word (.docx). For many files, soffice --headless --convert-to docx *.wps converts a whole folder.

Is a WPS file the same as WPS Office?

Not always. WPS Office uses .wps for Writer documents, but Microsoft Works used the same extension for its word processor years earlier. Current WPS Office saves DOCX files by default.

Can I open a WPS file on a Mac?

Yes. LibreOffice for macOS opens Works files, and WPS Office for Mac opens Kingsoft files.

Why does my WPS file show strange characters?

You're probably looking at it in a text editor, or in a program that guessed the wrong format. It's a binary file: open it in LibreOffice or WPS Office.

Related formats

Other file types explained

DOC file DOCX file RTF file ODT file WPD file PDF file All file types

Keep going

Host a WPS file

Put a WPS document online at its own address.

Share a WPS file

Send a WPS document as a link instead of an attachment.

Host a report

Publish a report people can open from a link.

Sources

Last reviewed 27 October 2026.