Open Old Files

Classic Mac word processors

Open MacWrite, WriteNow and old Word for Mac files

Documents from the classic Mac years, from the 1984 MacWrite to Word 5.1. Drop them here, even the ones with no extension.

  • Nothing is uploaded: files are opened on your computer
  • Free to view, print and save as PDF or CSV
  • Works on Mac, Windows, iPad and Chromebook

Drop your old files here

One file, a whole folder, or a ZIP. They're opened on this computer and never uploaded.

No file to hand? Try , or .

The converter downloads when you add your first file.

Files with no extension

Classic Mac OS didn't need extensions: it kept each file's type separately. Copied to a modern computer, those files often look like nameless blank icons. Drop them on this page and it works out what they are from what's inside.

Which programs

MacWrite, MacWrite II and MacWrite Pro; WriteNow; Microsoft Word for Mac 1 to 5.1; Microsoft Works for Mac; Nisus Writer; FullWrite; Mariner Write; GreatWorks and BeagleWorks; TeachText and SimpleText. These are read with libmwaw, the open-source library LibreOffice uses for old Mac files.

MacBinary, BinHex and resource forks

Some formats keep part of the document in the "resource fork", which is lost when a file passes through Windows or email. If you have .bin (MacBinary) or .hqx (BinHex) copies, drop those: they keep both parts.

Questions about this

Pictures in old Mac documents?

Mac PICT pictures are drawn on the page. They come through in the PDF and in the Word file.

Free to open. £6 once for the rest.

Opening, reading, printing, PDFs of documents and drawings, and CSVs of spreadsheets are free, one file at a time, for as long as the site runs.

£6 one-time, no account

  • Word files (.docx) of documents, with formatting and pictures
  • Excel files (.xlsx) of spreadsheets and databases, every sheet
  • Whole folders or ZIPs converted into one ZIP

Coming soon. Everything free on this page works now.

Other old files

Microsoft Works databaseOpen a Works database (.wdb) fileWorks .wdb to .xlsx and .csvConvert a Works database to ExcelMicrosoft Works word processorOpen a Microsoft Works .wps documentTwo formats, one extensionIs your .wps file from Works or from WPS Office?Microsoft Works spreadsheetOpen a Works spreadsheet (.wks or .xlr)AppleWorks and ClarisWorks .cwkOpen AppleWorks files on a modern Mac