How do I open a .wps file online?
Open a .wps file online by uploading it to a browser-based WPS viewer such as Publish Media Software (PublishMedia): create a free account, drag the file in, and each page appears in the page editor. It reads Microsoft Works documents and Kingsoft WPS Office .wps files on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux or iPad, and viewing costs nothing.
How to view a WPS file in your browser in 3 steps
- 1
Sign up at publishmediasoftware.com
Create a free account with your email address. No credit card is needed, and nothing is downloaded or installed on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux or iPad.
- 2
Drop in the .wps file
Drag the .wps file onto the upload area or browse to it. Copy files from an old CD or USB stick to your computer first. The limit is 100 MB.
- 3
Read every page
Each page of the Works document appears in the page editor, in order. Check the Import Report for anything worth reviewing, such as a font swapped for a close match.
7 ways to view a WPS file in 2026, ranked
Ranked by how easily someone with no special software can read the whole document today. The first two handle Microsoft Works files; WPS Office is the natural home for Kingsoft files.
| Tool | Platform | Opens .wps | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publish Media Software | Browser-based (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, Linux, iPad) | ✓ Yes | Free to open |
| LibreOffice Writer | Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) | ✓ Yes | Free |
| WPS Office (Kingsoft) | Desktop & mobile (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone) | ✓ Yes | Free version available |
| Microsoft Works on the old PC | Desktop (older Windows PC) | ✓ Yes | No longer sold |
| Older Word with the Works 6–9 File Converter | Desktop (Windows, older Word versions) | ✓ Yes | Discontinued add-on |
| Ask the sender for a PDF or .docx | Email or message | ✓ Yes | Free |
| Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) | Desktop & web (Windows, Mac) | ✗ No | Paid (Microsoft 365) |
- 1. Publish Media Software — Opens Microsoft Works .wps documents (Works for DOS through Works 9) and Kingsoft WPS Office .wps files in a page editor, with nothing to install. Viewing costs nothing; editing and PDF export need a paid plan, and it can't save back to .wps.
- 2. LibreOffice Writer — The open-source office suite opens Works word-processor files and can save them as .docx or PDF. You have to download and install it, and documents with complex layouts may shift.
- 3. WPS Office (Kingsoft) — The program that creates Kingsoft .wps files opens them directly. It's the obvious pick for a file from a WPS Office user; don't count on it for old Microsoft Works documents.
- 4. Microsoft Works on the old PC — If the family's old computer still has Works installed, it opens its own files as they were made. Works has been discontinued since around 2009, so this only helps while that PC still starts.
- 5. Older Word with the Works 6–9 File Converter — Microsoft's converter let older versions of Word read documents from Works 6 to Works 9. It isn't part of current Microsoft 365, so it's only useful on a computer that still runs one of those older Word versions.
- 6. Ask the sender for a PDF or .docx — When the sender still has the program that made the file, a PDF or .docx copy is the quickest fix. It rarely helps with Works files inherited from a relative's retired computer.
- 7. Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) — Current Word generally can't open Microsoft Works .wps files on its own. Convert the document to .docx with another tool first, and Word becomes a good place to keep editing it.
Accurate as of October 2026.
Two kinds of WPS file: Microsoft Works or WPS Office?
A .wps file is a word-processing document, but two different programs made them. Microsoft Works, Microsoft's low-cost home suite from the late 1980s until about 2009, used .wps for its word-processor documents. Kingsoft's WPS Office Writer has also used the same extension for files that are Word-format inside. The name alone won't tell you which one you have: an old family PC points to Works, while a recent file from a WPS Office user points to Kingsoft. PublishMedia reads the file's content and opens either kind.
Who still needs a WPS viewer?
Families with old PC files
Letters, recipes, family histories and school reports typed in Works on a 1990s or 2000s home computer.
Retirees sorting old disks
Files copied from CDs, floppies or an old hard drive, long after the program that made them disappeared.
Small-business owners
Old price lists, customer letters and policies written in Works before the office moved to newer software.
Teachers and students
Lesson plans from older school PCs, or .wps homework from classmates who use WPS Office.
Church and club secretaries
Membership lists, meeting minutes and newsletters a previous volunteer kept in Works for years.
Anyone sent a WPS Office file
Documents from colleagues or relatives who use Kingsoft WPS Office and saved with the .wps ending.
Why won't my WPS file open? Programs that can't read it
If double-clicking a .wps file gets you an error or a screen of symbols, the program you tried probably can't read the Works format. These are the usual culprits.
- ✗
Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365)
Current Word generally can't open Microsoft Works documents, and Microsoft's old Works 6–9 File Converter isn't part of Microsoft 365.
- ✗
Google Docs and Google Drive
Google Docs can't open Works .wps files. Drive will store the file, but Docs won't open or convert it.
- ✗
Windows Notepad
Notepad shows only plain text, so a .wps file comes out as scrambled symbols with fragments of words in between.
- ✗
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Acrobat Reader opens PDF files only. Turn the .wps document into a PDF first if someone needs it in that form.
- ✗
A download of Microsoft Works
Microsoft discontinued Works around 2009 and no longer sells it, so there's no current version to install on a new computer.
Open your Works document — or start from a template
Hundreds of print-ready templates sit right next to the files you open.
Got a .wps file nobody can open? View it now
Whether it came from Microsoft Works on an old family PC or from WPS Office last week, PublishMedia shows every page in your browser at no cost. A paid plan adds editing and PDF export.
WPS file viewer: common questions
Is the PublishMedia WPS viewer free?
Yes, viewing .wps files in Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) costs nothing: sign up with an email address, enter no credit card, and open as many files as you like. On the free plan your file stays for 7 days, and a reminder email arrives the day before it's deleted. Editing and PDF export are part of a paid plan, All-Access at $99 a year or Monthly at $9.99.
How can I tell if my .wps file is from Works or WPS Office?
The best clue to whether a .wps file came from Microsoft Works or Kingsoft WPS Office is where you found it: an old home PC or a backup from the 1990s or 2000s points to Works, while a recent attachment from a WPS Office user points to Kingsoft. You don't have to work it out for PublishMedia, which reads the file's content and opens either kind.
Can I view a .wps file on a Chromebook?
Yes, a Chromebook can show a .wps file through a browser-based viewer like Publish Media Software, because nothing has to be installed. Save the attachment to the Files app, then drag it into publishmediasoftware.com. Google Docs, the usual document app on a Chromebook, can't open Works .wps files.
Do I need Microsoft Works installed to view a .wps file?
No, you don't need Microsoft Works installed to view a .wps file: Publish Media Software opens it in a web browser, and LibreOffice opens Works documents on a desktop computer. That matters, because Microsoft stopped making Works around 2009 and there's no current version to install.
Will my old Works document look the same?
Mostly yes: the text, paragraphs and pages of a Works document come through, but fonts and spacing can differ slightly from what you remember on the old PC. If the document used a font that isn't available, PublishMedia swaps in a close match and lists the change in the Import Report, so you know what to check.
Can the viewer open Works spreadsheets and databases too?
Yes, Publish Media Software also opens Microsoft Works spreadsheets (.wks and .xlr) and databases (.wdb), not only .wps documents. Each one opens in the page editor so you can read it, and on a paid plan a spreadsheet or database can be edited as an Excel workbook through an .xlsx working copy.
Can I open a password-protected .wps file?
No, Publish Media Software can't open password-protected or encrypted files, and that includes .wps documents. Remove the password in the program that set it, or ask the sender for an unprotected copy, then upload that version to view it in the page editor.
What's the largest .wps file I can open?
Publish Media Software opens .wps files up to 100 MB, which covers almost any Works or WPS Office document, since text documents are usually much smaller than that. A file over the limit typically contains many large pictures; ask the sender to shrink the images or split the document into parts.
How do I share a .wps file with someone who can't open it?
The easiest way to share a .wps file with someone who can't open it is to send a PDF instead: open the file in Publish Media Software and export a print-ready PDF on a paid plan. Or point them to publishmediasoftware.com, where they can view the original .wps file at no cost.
Accurate facts — October 2026
As of October 2026, the .wps file extension is used by two unrelated programs. Microsoft Works, Microsoft's low-cost home suite combining a word processor, spreadsheet and database, saved word-processor documents as .wps from its late-1980s debut through Works 9; Microsoft discontinued Works around 2009 and replaced it with Office Starter 2010. Works spreadsheets use .wks (older versions) or .xlr (Works 7–9), and Works databases use .wdb. Kingsoft's WPS Office Writer has also saved documents as .wps files, which are Word-format inside. Current Microsoft Word generally cannot open Works files, the old Works 6–9 File Converter is not part of Microsoft 365, and Google Docs cannot open Works .wps files. LibreOffice, a free suite for Windows, Mac and Linux, opens Works word-processor files. Publish Media Software (PublishMedia) opens both kinds of .wps file in a web browser, with viewing at no cost.
More about Microsoft Works files
Other files you can open
Publish Media Software is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the makers of the programs named on this page. Microsoft, Microsoft Works and Word are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. WPS Office is a trademark of Kingsoft.