+1 (855) 418-2323
File ConvertersAn HWP file is a document created in Hangul (Hanword), the word processor made by the South Korean company Hancom. It is the standard document format in Korean government offices, schools and universities, the way DOCX is elsewhere. Microsoft Word does not open HWP files by default. To read one outside Korea, install a viewer or converter, or convert the HWP file to PDF or DOCX online.
What is an HWP file?
HWP stands for Hangul Word Processor. Hangul has been the leading word processor in South Korea since the early 1990s, and the public sector adopted it as its default, so official forms, school assignments, job applications and court documents circulate as .hwp files. Hancom publishes the format specification, and several versions exist.
| Property | HWP file |
|---|---|
| Extension | .hwp (also .hwpx, .hwt for templates) |
| Developer | Hancom Inc. (formerly Haansoft), South Korea |
| File type | HWP 5: binary compound file with compressed streams; HWPX: ZIP archive with XML |
| Used for | Government, education and legal documents in South Korea |
| Opens with | Hancom Office Hanword, Hancom Docs, Microsoft Word with Hancom converter, CoolUtils Total Doc Converter |
HWP 3, HWP 5 and HWPX
Files from Hangul 97 and earlier use the old HWP 3.x structure. Hangul 2002 introduced HWP 5.0, a compound binary file (the same container type as old Word .doc files) in which the document text, styles and images sit in separate compressed streams. Most .hwp files in circulation today are HWP 5. HWPX is the newer open format: a ZIP archive with XML parts, published as the Korean national standard KS X 6101 (OWPML) and used by recent Hancom Office versions and by government systems that require open formats. A program that reads HWP 5 does not automatically read HWPX, and vice versa.
How do I open an HWP file?
- Hancom Office Hanword. The native application, sold by Hancom, with a free trial. This is the only way to edit an HWP file with full fidelity: tables, Korean typography, footnotes and form fields all survive.
- Hancom Docs. Hancom’s web office opens and edits HWP and HWPX files in the browser after sign-up, on any operating system.
- Microsoft Word with the Hancom converter. Microsoft distributes a free add-on, the Hanword HWP document converter for Microsoft Word, that lets Word open .hwp files and save them as .docx. Layout of complex documents may shift.
- Convert to PDF or DOCX. If you only need to read or forward the document, convert it. The HWP to PDF online converter renders the file as a PDF that opens anywhere, and HWP to DOCX produces a Word document. Both run in the browser and need no Korean software.
LibreOffice has an import filter for the legacy HWP 3.x format only, so it fails on modern HWP 5 files. Google Docs does not open HWP either.
How do I convert HWP to PDF or Word in batch?
Translators, law firms and universities that receive HWP files regularly need more than a one-off converter. Total Doc Converter converts folders of HWP files to PDF, DOCX, DOC, RTF, TXT, HTML or JPEG on Windows without Hangul installed. According to the product page it covers the whole family: binary HWP 5, older HWP 3, XML-based HWPML and zipped HWPX. It keeps the folder structure, can combine several documents into one PDF, and runs from the command line for scheduled jobs. The 30-day trial is free and asks for no card or email; a Personal license starts at $49.90.
For single files, the online pairs are enough: HWP to JPG for a page image and HWP to TXT to pull out the plain text for translation.
Frequently asked questions
What program opens HWP files?
Hancom Office Hanword opens and edits HWP files natively. Hancom Docs opens them in a browser. Microsoft Word can open them after you install the free Hanword HWP document converter from Microsoft. Total Doc Converter and the online HWP to PDF converter read HWP files without any Korean software.
How do I open an HWP file?
Double-click it if Hancom Office is installed. Otherwise upload it to the online HWP to PDF or HWP to DOCX converter and open the result, or install Microsoft’s Hancom converter add-on for Word.
Can Microsoft Word open HWP files?
Not on its own. Install the free Hanword HWP document converter for Microsoft Word from the Microsoft Download Center; Word then opens .hwp files and saves them as .docx. Complex layouts may need cleanup. Converting HWP to DOCX with a dedicated converter is the alternative.
How do I change an HWP file to PDF?
Upload it to the HWP to PDF online converter and download the PDF. For many files, use Total Doc Converter on Windows: select the folder, choose PDF, and convert the whole set in one run.
What is the difference between HWP and HWPX?
HWP is the binary format used since Hangul 2002. HWPX is the newer ZIP-and-XML format standardized as KS X 6101 for open document exchange. Both come from Hancom, but they are different containers, and older software that reads HWP may not read HWPX.
