What is a WPS file?
Microsoft Works Word Processor Document
- Developed By
- Microsoft
- Initial Release
- 1987
- MIME Type
- application/vnd.ms-works
A WPS file is the default document format for Microsoft Works Word Processor, a simplified productivity suite discontinued in 2009. The format consists of a binary structure that varies significantly between software versions (Works 2.0 through 9.0), containing rich text, headers, and basic layout information. It lacks the advanced macro and XML schema support found in the contemporary DOC and DOCX formats.
How to open a WPS file
As Microsoft Works is deprecated, modern native OS support is non-existent. Microsoft Word 2016 and earlier versions included a Works 6-9 file converter. For current systems, LibreOffice Writer is the standard alternative, offering robust interpretation of the legacy binary format via the libwps import filter.