Four ways to use WP files under OS X | Files that must be converted by hand | The WPWordConverter | WP Exporter | The WPLOConverter | WPConversions | The WP Converter | Miscellaneous converters made for this site | Convert WPMac files with Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and other scripts | LibreOffice and other Mac-based word processors | Other Mac-based conversion software | Home page
Read this first: The information on this page is designed for users of any current or recent Macintosh computer. You should read this page if you have WordPerfect files that you want to open in Word for the Mac or other current Macintosh software.
Important note: Your WordPerfect files do not require a .WPD extension to be used with any of these methods!
If you have WordPerfect for DOS or WordPerfect for Windows files that you want to open in your ancient copy of Microsoft Word for the Mac, you may ignore this page and go directly to another page on this site.
If you want to open or use WordPerfect files in Microsoft Word for Windows, see a separate page.
If macOS says that an application on this page is damaged and should be moved to the trash: Download this FixDamagedApp.zip archive; extract the FixDamagedApp utility and move it to a different folder before running it; then drop the supposedly "damaged" app on the FixDamagedApp utility. The "damaged" app should now run normally
1. Run WordPerfect for Windows under Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. The commercial applications Parallels Desktop (on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs) and VMware Fusion (on Intel Macs only) can both run a Windows application in a window on the OS X/macOS desktop, and both work surprisingly well to integrate a Windows application into OS X/macOS. You will need a copy of Windows itself in order to use these applications. Search the web for the web sites of these programs. A free application, VirtualBox, can accomplish similar feats, but is infinitely more difficult to set up.
2. Run WordPerfect for DOS under emulation software (recommended only for experienced users of WPDOS). Various methods to perform this feat are described on a separate pages for this site's new vDosWP method or its DOSBox method and other, more complex methods based on Windows and either Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion.
3. Run WordPerfect for the Macintosh under software that emulates an old 68K or PowerPC Mac (recommended only for experienced users of WPMac). These methods are described on separate pages for a recommended and well-integrated system and a less-advanced alternative system, mostly for older Macs.
4. Convert your WP files into Word or RTF format for editing in Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, Pages, or some other Mac-native software; or convert your WP files into PDF format for distribution but not for editing. Different methods for converting WP files may be found on the rest of this page. Each will produce slightly different results.These methods are as follows:
5. Copy the contents of a WP file to the OS X/macOS clipboard. A utility supplied by this site lets you copy the formatted text of a WP document (created on the Mac or in DOS or Windows) to the OS X/macOS clipboard for pasting in OS X/macOS applications. You need not have a copy of WordPerfect on your system. Download WPtoClipboard.zip and move the application to any convenient folder. You may either drop a document on the application or open the application and select a file.
Password-protected files. Open these files in a copy of WordPerfect; remove the password; and then convert the file.
WPMac files that use fonts provided by the Mac OS "Language Kits" (Japanese, Korean, etc.). These files can be converted by the WPWordConverter and the WPLOConverter, or you may try the obsolete method described elsewhere on this page.
This conversion program uses an installed copy of Microsoft Word 2016 (or later) or an installed copy of LibreOffice to complete a conversion from WordPerfect to DOCX, DOC, or PDF formats. If it finds neither a suitable version of Word nor LibreOffice, it uses built-in OS X/macOS tools to complete the conversion.
Its method is to use the open-source libwpd WordPerfect import filter to convert a WP file into Open Document (odt) format, and then uses either Word or LibreOffice to convert from Open Document to DOCX, DOC, or PDF format. Depending on the original document, you may get better results with Word or with LibreOffice.
Download the WPWordConverter in this WPWordConverter.ZIP archive (1.5 MB). Move the WPWordConverter anywhere on your disk. If you have LibreOffice, but not Word, change the name of the application to WPLibreConverter.
You can drop one or more WP files on the application to convert them into DOCX format; the original files will remain unchanged; the converted versions will be in the same folder and have the same name as the original, with a .DOCX extension. Alternatively, you can launch the application and select one file to convert.
If you use Word to complete the conversion, Word will need to go online to use a converter on Microsoft's website. This will be slow, and Word will ask permission the first time it does so. (If the application times out this first time, simply run it again.)
If you want to create files in DOC or PDF format instead of DOCX, hold down the Option key when launching the application and follow the prompts.
The program was updated 22 May 2022 to stop Word from prompting for disk access.
If you find this application useful, please feel to make a contribution to the site.
This standalone conversion program uses the opensource wpd2odt and pandoc utilities to convert WP files to DOCX, RTF, or PDF files. It can also convert .WPG images to PNG files using the open-source wpg2svg and rsvg-convert programs. It is by far the fastest of these conversion programs, but the results may not be as satisfactory as the results given by the WPWordConverter.
Download WPExport in this WPExporter.zip archive (23 MB). Move the WPExporter application anywhere on your disk.
You can drop one or more files on the application to convert them to DOCX format; the original files will remain unchanged; the converted versions will be in the same folder and have the same name as the original with a .DOCX extension. Alternatively, you can launch the application and select one file to convert.
By default, this application converts WP files to DOCX format, but if you change the name of the application so that it includes the letters "RTF" or "PDF", it will create RTF or PDF files instead.
If you change the name of the application so that it includes the word "Clipboard", it will save the contents of the WP file to the macOS clipboard.
You may also drop one or more WPG graphics files on the applcation, and it will create one or more PNG files in the same directory.
Updated 20 November 2023.
This standalone conversion program is based on the conversion software in the LibreOffice word-processor, which uses the most recent version of the open-source lipwpd WordPerfect import filter. The converter was devised by the creator of this site; if you find it useful, please feel to make a contribution to the site.
By default, it exports files to DOC format, but can be customized to export to .RTF or PDF formats instead. (See a separate section for more details about LibreOffice.) The program may also be used to convert files in modern formats to WPMac format so that they may be edited in WPMac .
Download the WPLOConverter in this WPLOConverter.ZIP archive (300 MB). Extract the WPLOConverter and place it anywhere on your disk.
Supported versions of OS X/macOS: The WPLOConverter runs under OS X 10.11, and all versions of macOS.
You may convert one or more WP files by dropping them on the WPLOConverter, or you may double-click on the application and select a WP file.
The exported files will be in the same folder with the original, with the same name as the original, but with an added .DOC, .RTF, .ODT, or .PDF extension. If a file already exists with the same name, the newly-created copy will have a number at the end of the name, before the extension. By default, the program exports in DOC format, which is the native format of Microsoft Word 97 through 2003.
Warning: The first time you launch the application it may not succeed in starting the required background processes. If this occurs, it will display one or more error messages. Close down the software and try again. After the first time it runs correctly, it should work more smoothly in the future. However, you may need to be patient when the program displays a messsage saying that it is performing stage 2 of the conversion.The WPLOConverter can convert password-protected WordPerfect documents if - and only if - both of the following are true: (1) you know the password and can enter it when prompted; (2) the documents were created either by WordPerfect for the Macintosh or any version of WordPerfect for DOS or Windows or Unix up to and including 5.2, but not 6.x or later.
You may customize the WPLOConverter by changing its name, as described in the following paragraphs. You may give any name to the application; the presence or absence of specific strings of letters control the way the program operates. For example, you can rename the program "BritneySpears" and it will work exactly as it normally does; but if you rename it as "Britney PDF Spears" then it will export to .PDF format instead of the default DOC format.
Change the default output format. By default the WPLOConverter exports files in DOC format. To export to .RTF format, add the string "RTF" to the name of the application. To export to the .ODT format used by LibreOffice and OpenOffice.org, add the string "ODT" to the name of the application. To export to .PDF format, add the string "PDF" to the name of the application.
Automatically open the converted file. If you want to edit the converted file immediately after creating it, add the string "Open" to the name of the converter. The converted file will open in the default application used by OS X/macOS to open the filetype of the converted file. For example, if you add "Open RTF" to the name of the converter, the converted .RTF file will open automatically in TextEdit.
Specify the application that opens the converted file. If you want the converted document to open automatically in a different application from the OS X/macOS default for the filetype, add "Setup" to the name of the application. You will be presented with a list of applications that OS X/macOS can use to open the output file; select the one you wish to use. Before running the WPLOConverter a second time, remove "Setup" from the name. (Each time you use the "Setup" option, you will need to select an application, or the default application will be restored.)
Display a brief help message. To display a help message, add "Help" to the name of the application.
You may also use the WPLOConverter to convert other formats into WPMac formats. To do this, follow these instructions:
To convert from other formats to WP format, change the name of the WPLOConverter so that it includes "to WP" in its name (that's "to WP" with a space between the two words, NOT "toWP" - this is important!). For example, you might call it "WPLO to WP Converter" or anything that includes "to WP".
Drop a DOC, DOCX, RTF, or other standard document file on to the renamed application (or double-click it so that it prompts you to select a file). The application will open and close a few windows, and finally create a WPMac 3.0 file (that's WPMac 3.0, not 3.5e) in the same folder as the original, with the same filename as the original but with a ".wpmac" extension added at the end of the name. That extension is arbitrary, and of course you can rename the output files to any name you like. (If the filename of the converted file is longer than 31 characters, you will need to shorten the name before you can open the file in WPMac.)
If you change the "WPLOConverter" application name so that it includes "to WP5" (or "to WP510101010101" - all that matters is the "to WP5" part) it will output files in WP51 format instead of WPMac 3.0. If you change the application name so that it includes "to WP6", it will output files in WP6.x format. If you use either of these options (for WP5 or WP6) the converted file will have the extension ".wpd" instead of ".wpmac"; ".wpd" is the standard extension for WP files under Windows.
Note: The WPLOConverter is frequently updated.
This standalone conversion program uses the old MacLink converters (running under OS 8.6 in the SheepShaver emulator) to convert WP files to DOC or PDF files, or to convert Word DOC or DOCX files to WPDOS 5.1 files (which can be opened in any version of WP for DOS, Windows, or the Mac).
Download WPConversions in this WPConversions.ZIP archive (220 MB). Extract the WPConversions application and place it anywhere on your disk.
By default, it converts WP files to DOC format, but if you change the name of the application so that it includes the letters "PDF, it will create PDF files instead. Either drop a WP file on the application, or launch the application and select a file. The DOC file (or PDF file) will be created in the same folder with the WP file.
If you rename the application so that it has the string "toWP" in its name (not case-sensitive, but without a space between "to" and "WP") it will convert DOC or DOCX files to WP 5.1 format. Either drop a Word file on the application, or launch the application and select a file. The WP file will be created in the same folder with the Word file.
Summary of naming options:
Important! If, when the SheepShaver emulator starts up, it displays a message asking you to check the web for updated filters or continue translation , click the button that says "Continue Translation"! You may need to click it twice; be patient.
This standalone conversion program uses multiple methods for converting WP files into other formats. When converting WPMac files, it uses a copy of WordPerfect for the Mac running in the SheepShaver emulator program; when converting most WPDOS or WPWin files, it uses the DOS-based ConvertPerfect utility, running in the DOSBox emulator; for a very few older WP document formats, it uses modules from the DOS-based Word for Word program, also running in DOSBox. By default, it exports files to .RTF format, but can be customized to export to DOC or PDF formats instead.
Because files created in the WPMac 3.5e (3.5 Enhanced) format may not be opened in WordPerfect for Windows, the WP Converter can also export these files to the formats used by WPMac 3.0-3.5.4, WPDOS 5.1, or WPDOS 6.x; these files can be opened in WordPerfect for Windows.
The converter was devised by the creator of this site; if you find it useful, please feel to make a contribution to the site.
Download the WP Converter in this WP Converter.ZIP archive (32 MB). Extract the WP Converter and place it anywhere on your disk.
Supported versions of OS X/macOS: I have tested the WP Converter under OS X 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, macOS 10.12 and 10.13.
You may convert one or more WP files by dropping them on the WP Converter, or you may double-click on the application and select a WP file to convert.
The exported files will be in the same folder with the original, with the same name as the original, but with an added .RTF, .DOC, or .PDF extension. If a file already exists with the same name, the newly-created copy will have a number at the end of the name, before the extension. By default, the program exports in RTF format. Files exported in DOC format use an older version of that format which may not be openable in many versions of Microsoft Word, so you are advised to export to the default .RTF format instead.
You may customize the WP Converter by changing its name, as described in the following paragraphs. You may give any name to the application, but the presence or absence of specific strings of letters in its name will control the way the program operates. For example, you can rename the program "JustinBieber" and it will work exactly as it normally does; but if you rename it as "Justin PDF Bieber" then it will export to .PDF format instead of the default .RTF format.
Change the default output format. By default the WP Converter exports files in RTF format. To export to DOC format, add the string "DOC" to the name of the converter. To export to .PDF format, add the string "PDF" to the name of the converter.
To use the Mac-based converter to convert all files, even those created by WPDOS or WPWin. The different conversion methods available in this application produce slightly different results. If you prefer to use the embedded copy of WPMac for converting files created by WPDOS or WPWin (in addition to using it for WPMac files), add the string "AllMac" to the application name.
To use the DOS-based converter to convert all files, even those created by WPMac. The different conversion methods available in this application produce slightly different results. If you prefer to use the DOS-based ConvertPerfect or Word for Word converters for WPMac files (in addition to using them for WPDOS files), add the string "NoMac" to the application name.
To convert WPMac documents to a different WP format. To convert files in WPMac format to a WP format that can be opened by WordPerfect for Windows, add any of these strings to the name of the converter: "ToWP3" (exports to WPMac 3.0-3.5.4 format), "ToWP51" (exports to WPDOS 5.1 format), or "ToWP60" (exports to WPDOS 6.x format). (Note that this option may not be used with the "NoMac" option described above.)
Display a brief help message. To display a help message, add "Help" to the name of the application.
Troubleshooting. The procedure used by this application for converting WPMac files uses an embedded copy of WPMac running the SheepShaver emulator, with WPMac and SheepShaver controlled by AppleScripts. This is a complicated system; in case of difficulties, you may need to pause the operation to manipulate the SheepShaver setup. Add the string "NoStart" to the converter name so that SheepShaver will open, but the conversion process will not begin automatically. To prevent SheepShaver from closing down after the conversion process, add the string "NoQuit". (If necessary, you may add both "NoStart" and "NoQuit".) A bug in SheepShaver makes it impossible to edit the system's AppleScript; if you want to edit the AppleScript used by the system, add "BII" to the application name, so that the system will temporarily use the BasiliskII emulator instead of SheepShaver.
A few other OS X/macOS utilities created for this site (with download links) include:
WPViewer: An OS X/macOS utility for quickly viewing the content of WP files; only limited formatting is supported.
WPDtoODTConverter: An OS X/macOS utility for converting WP files into Open Document format for opening in LibreOffice or other purposes. Most formatting is supported.
WPtoClipboard: An OS X/macOS utility that copies the text of a WP file to the OS X/macOS clipboard. Use only for copying plain text.
Note: This section is obsolete! The WPLOConverter can now convert WPMac files that contain Japanese and other East Asian scripts.
With the proper hardware and software, it is possible to convert WordPerfect for the Macintosh documents that contain Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or other non-Roman characters, into standard formats used by OS X/macOS and Windows applications. Some further information on the required Apple Language Kits may be found elsewhere on this site.
You will need a PowerPC Macintosh running OS X 10.4 ("Tiger") with Classic installed; the Classic system must have the appropriate Apple Language Kit installed from an OS X 9.2 installation CD. WordPerfect for the Mac 3.5 Enhanced should be installed in Classic. Earlier versions may not provide as smooth a transition.
You may also be able to paste the text directly into Word 2004 or 2008, but I have not tested this. You will not be able to paste the text directly from the clipboard into Word 2001, but you will be able to use Word 2001 to open and edit an RTF file saved from TextEdit with the complete text pasted from the WPMac file.
The method described here may work on a system running an earlier version of OS X (e.g. 10.2 or 10.3) but it will probably be less reliable, and I have not tested such systems.
It should be fairly simple to automate this process with an AppleScript, but I have not attempted it.
The open-source word-processors listed below use various new and old version the "libwpd" import filter for WordPerfect. This import filter can open almost all WordPerfect files and save them in Microsoft Word or RTF format. Open the WordPerfect file from the word-processor's File | Open menu, or by dragging the WordPerfect file to the word processor's icon in the dock. Save the file in Word format by using the word-processor's Save As... menu, and select "Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP" (or closely similar option) or "RTF" as the format for saving.
The results of the "libwpd" conversion may not be perfect; if so, you might try saving the file from LibreOffice in a different format (perhaps Microsoft Word 95), although you will usually get best results by saving in Word 97/2000/XP format.
Open-source word-processors that use the libwpd import filter include:
Alternatively, you may want to use smaller, faster standalone scripts that use an older version of the libwpd filter for converting WordPerfect files to RTF or HTML format. These scripts may be found on Derick Fay's web page.
MacLinkPlus Deluxe (a commercial program, no longer available from its vendor Dataviz, and not usable under OS X 10.7 "Lion" or later) converts files from WPMac 2.0 through 3.5e formats to all standard word-processing formats. The results are reasonably good, although features such as line numbering are not supported; conversions to other Mac formats tend to be superior to conversions to Windows formats. Password-protected files cannot be opened. Older versions of MacLinkPlus (through version 11 at least) can open WPMac 1.0 files; the final version was version 16. You may be able to find a copy on eBay.