How do I open a wks file?

March 30, 2006 2:01 PM

I need help opening a file with a .wks extension. I believe it's a Lotus spreadsheet, but I don't have that program.

Excel claims to be able to open it, but apparently can't do so. There's a third-party converter, but when we tried it, the program deleted text and inserted ads for the pay version of the converter. Short of paying up for the converter, is there any other way to open this document?

posted by kensanway to computers & internet (10 comments total)

If Excel can't open it, is it possible it's from Microsoft Works?
posted by Optimus Chyme at 2:04 PM on March 30, 2006

Not sure if your version of Office has it already, but here is the Office File Converter Pack.
posted by DakotaPaul at 2:14 PM on March 30, 2006

It's a Works file, Word should be able to open it, Google is really good with questions like these too.
posted by Cosine at 2:26 PM on March 30, 2006

.wks = microsoft works. It's a format that can contain multiple word processing documents, spreadsheets, etc.

OpenOffice.org doesn't claim it can open it but I'd try anyway.
posted by holloway at 2:26 PM on March 30, 2006

First: if the extension is correct for that file, it is indeed a Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet file (see here). Specifically, an early version of Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS.

What I've read suggests that Excel SHOULD be able to open it; not sure why it won't. OpenOffice doesn't have the capability, but if you have access to a Linux machine, the open source spreadsheet program "Gnumeric" supposedly opens .wks and .wk1 files (see here).
posted by davejay at 2:32 PM on March 30, 2006

Okay, none of these have worked so far. Any more thoughts?
posted by kensanway at 3:26 PM on March 30, 2006

Can you open it with a hex editor and see if there's any ID or headers?
posted by Optimus Chyme at 3:30 PM on March 30, 2006

First on the file name.
.wks can be either Lotus or a Microsoft Works file.

Second my one and only experience trying to get Excel to open works files was not positive. Here's advice direct from Microsoft:
Excel 2000 or later versions cannot directly open files created in Microsoft Works version 3.0 or later. To open a Works file in Excel, first open it in Works and use the Save As command to convert it to one of the file formats listed below. Then close the Works file and open the converted version in Excel.

If you don't have Works, a google search of xls and wks lists conversion tools, I can't vouch or any in particular since I'v never used them.
posted by forforf at 3:32 PM on March 30, 2006

that was supposed to be for not or ... I must have used my alottment of f's in my username.
posted by forforf at 3:34 PM on March 30, 2006

It's a MS Works file. I've never had luck converting old .wks files to .xls, so I installed a version of MS Works that came with an old PC and it worked just fine.

You might consider contacting MS via email. They are surprisingly good about such communication.
posted by sequential at 11:36 PM on March 30, 2006