Document
What is a .wks file?
A .wks file is a Lotus 1-2-3 Worksheet (version 1.0). 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 .wks over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.
How to open a .wks 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 Lotus 1-2-3 Worksheet, Microsoft Works Spreadsheet, Microsoft Works Spreadsheet for Macintosh and others, so software from that family is the most likely match.
How to convert a .wks 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 .wks file travels over the web, servers label it with one of these MIME types:
application/vnd.lotus-1-2-3application/x-123The technical record
For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .wks.
| Format name | Version | MIME type | PUID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lotus 1-2-3 Worksheet | 1.0 | application/vnd.lotus-1-2-3, application/x-123 | x-fmt/117 |
| Microsoft Works Spreadsheet | 1-5 | — | fmt/166 |
| Microsoft Works Spreadsheet for Macintosh | 3 | — | fmt/270 |
| Microsoft Works Spreadsheet for Macintosh | 4 | — | fmt/271 |