Open Old Files

AppleWorks and ClarisWorks .cwk

Open AppleWorks files on a modern Mac

Years of school projects, newsletters and family accounts in AppleWorks. Drop a .cwk file here, in Safari or any browser, to see it again.

  • 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.

Why your Mac won't open them

AppleWorks 6 was written for PowerPC Macs. It only ran on Intel Macs through Rosetta, which Apple removed in Mac OS X Lion in 2011, so no Mac sold since can run it. Apple stopped selling AppleWorks in 2007.

For a while Pages and Numbers could import AppleWorks documents. Current versions can't, which is why double-clicking a .cwk file now gets you nowhere.

Open it in your browser

Drop the file above. This page uses libmwaw, the open-source reader for old Mac formats that LibreOffice relies on, compiled to run inside the browser. Word processing documents appear as pages, spreadsheets and databases as tables, and drawings and paintings as pictures.

Save documents as PDF for free, or spreadsheets as CSV. The unlock adds Word and Excel files and whole folders at once, handy for a drive full of old work.

Every version

ClarisWorks 1 to 5, AppleWorks 5 and AppleWorks 6, made on a Mac or on Windows. Files copied from old Macs often lost their ".cwk" ending: drop them anyway, the page recognises them by what's inside.

Questions about this

Does it work on an iPad or iPhone?

Yes, in Safari. Use "Choose files" and pick the .cwk file from the Files app or iCloud Drive.

What about AppleWorks for the Apple II?

That's a different program with its own formats, and this page doesn't open those.

Are my files uploaded?

No. The converter runs inside your browser, on your Mac.

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).cwk to .pdf, .docx and .xlsxConvert AppleWorks files to PDF or Word