Document
What is a .mcw file?
A .mcw file is a Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document (version 3.0). This is a document format, so it holds text and layout meant to be read. Confusingly, this extension has been used by 4 different formats over the years — they're all listed below.
This extension has been used by more than one format
4 different formats have claimed .mcw over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.
How to open a .mcw file
- Try LibreOffice (free, Windows/Mac/Linux) — it opens an enormous range of current and historic document formats.
- Microsoft Word and Google Docs handle most mainstream document types.
- If nothing opens it, open it in a text editor: many older document formats have readable text inside.
The registry records this extension against Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document, Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document, Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document and others, so software from that family is the most likely match.
How to convert a .mcw file
- Once it opens in LibreOffice or Word, Save As .docx or .pdf to get it into a format you can use anywhere.
MIME type
When a .mcw file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:
application/mswordThe technical record
For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .mcw.
| Format name | Version | MIME type | PUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document | 3.0 | application/msword | x-fmt/1 |
| Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document | 4.0 | application/msword | x-fmt/64 |
| Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document | 5.0 | application/msword | x-fmt/65 |
| Microsoft Word for Macintosh Document | 1.0 | application/msword | fmt/346 |